Ethiopia's ruling party sweeps parliament in early vote results

Ethiopia's ruling party and its allies have won a big majority in parliament, election officials said on Wednesday, based on an early count in a weekend election in which the opposition complained of harassment.

Charges of abuses were dismissed by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, leader of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which has been in power for almost 25 years. It was widely expected to sweep the vote.

The EPRDF and its allies won 442 seats out of 547, according to a Reuters tally calculated after election board chairman Merga Bekana read out results so far by region.

The provisional count suggested that the opposition, which won just one seat in the last parliament, had yet to claim a single seat in those declared so far. Full results are not expected until next month.

The United States said candidates and parties should resolve any disputes peacefully in line with the Ethiopian constitution.