This article lists political parties in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a multi-party parliament. The legislature was mostly dominated by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, until it was succeeded by the Prosperity Party in December 2019. The latest general election would have taken place in August 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent general election took place in 2021.

List

Parliamentary parties

PartyPolitical positionsIdeologyCreatedHouseProsperity PartyCentre2019National Movement of AmharaCentre-rightto right-wing2018Ethiopian Citizens for Social JusticeCentre2019Gedeo People's Democratic Party1992Tigray People's Liberation FrontLeft-wing1975

Other national parties National parties without members of parliament include:

+ Other national partiesNameNative nameIdeologyNotesFreedom and Equality PartyModerate liberalismEstablished in 2019All Ethiopian National MovementN/AAll-Ethiopia Socialist MovementOldest communist party in Ethiopia. Member of the United Ethiopian Democratic ForcesBalderas PartyFounded by political activist Eskinder Nega in 2019Alliance for Freedom and Democracy?Self-determinationCoalition of former separatist groups. Ethiopian Citizens for Social JusticeCreated through the merger of 7 opposition parties. Ethiopian Democratic LeagueN/AFormer member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. Ethiopian Democratic PartyMember of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek)Officially a coalition of 5 parties. Ethiopian People's Revolutionary PartyNon-ethnic federalismFormer communist party. Ethiopian Social Democratic PartySocial democracyFormer member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces. Ginbot 7N/APolitical organisation. Islamic Front for the Liberation of the OromoOromo self-determinationOromo militant party. Kefagn Patriotic Front?N/AFormed by soldiers from the army of Mengistu Haile Mariam. Oromo Federalist CongressFormed in 2012 from merger of OPC with OFDM.Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social JusticeN/AFormer member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. Sidama National Liberation Front?Sidama self-determinationSidama militant group. Inactive.Western Somali Democratic PartySomali nationalismFormer separatist group. Coalition of Ethiopian Federalist ForcesPolitical coalition.

Other regional parties

+ Regional partiesNameNative nameIdeologyCreatedNotesAll-Amhara People's OrganizationMinority politics1993Former member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces. Afar Liberation Front?Afar interestsFormer militant group turned political party. Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity FrontAfar self-determinationAfar militant party.Arena Tigray For Democracy and Sovereigntyearly 2000sAssimba Democratic PartySocial democracyOct 2019Irob based partyEthiopian People's Patriotic FrontN/ARebel group formerly active in Eritrea. Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front?c. 1993Part of the Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front. Harari People's Democratic PartyMinority politicsHarari minority party. National Movement of AmharaMinority politicsJun 2018Ogaden National Liberation FrontSomali: Jabhadda Waddaniga Xoraynta OgaadeenyaSomali nationalismSomali militant organisation. Oromo Liberation FrontOromo: Adda Bilisummaa OromooDec 1973Oromo armed movement and party.Sheko and Mezenger People's Democratic Unity OrganizationMinority politicsSheko and Mezenger minority party. Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition?Minority politicsA coalition from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. Tigray Democratic SolidarityLiberalismMay 2025<ref name="TDS_creation"/>||Tigrayan opposition party against the TPLF. Tigray Democratic PartyDec 2019<ref name="TDP_creation_Dec2019"/>||

Defunct parties PartyAbbr.IdeologyPolitical positionLeaderYears activeEthiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic FrontEPRDFAbiy Ahmed1988–2019Workers' Party of EthiopiaWPEFar-leftMengistu Haile Mariam1984–1991Commission for Organizing the Party of the Working People of EthiopiaCOPWEFar-leftMengistu Haile Mariam1979–1984Common Front of Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist OrganizationsCFEM–LOFar-leftCollective leadership1977–1979Provisional Office for Mass Organizational AffairsPOMOAFar-leftHaile Fida1975–1979

+ Other defunct partiesNameNative nameIdeologyNotesUnity for Democracy and Justice?LiberalismMerged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement?Merged into the Prosperity Party. Afar National Democratic PartyAmharic: የአፋር ብሔራዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲAfar interestsMerged into the Prosperity Party. Amhara Democratic PartyAmharic: አማራ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲAmhara interestsMerged into the Prosperity Party. Argoba Nationality Democratic OrganizationAmharic: የአርጎባ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄMinority politicsArgoba minority party. Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity FrontAmharic: የቤንሻንጉልና ጉሙዝ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲዊ አንድነትMinority politicsMerged into the Prosperity Party. Ethiopian Somali Democratic League?Minority politicsSomali ethnic party. Somali Democratic PartyAmharic: የሶማሌ ዴሞክራሲዊ ፓርቲDemocratic socialismMerged into the Prosperity Party. Gambela People's Democratic MovementAmharic: የጋምቤላ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄMinority politicsMerged into the Prosperity Party. Harari National LeagueHarari: ዚሐረሪ መሐዲያ ሊግHarari interestsMerged into the Prosperity Party. Oromo Democratic Party?Merged into the Prosperity Party.Oromo People's Congress?Minority politicsFormer Oromo ethnic party. Merged with OFDM in 2012, creating OFC.Oromo Federalist Democratic MovementOromo: Warraaqsa Federaalistii Uummata OromooFederalism2005–2012; Oromo party. Merged with OPC to create OFC.Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray?Semi-clandestine group within the TPLF. Abyotawit SededAmharic: አብዮታዊ ሰደድCommunismPolitical organisation led by Mengistu Haile Mariam. Echat?CommunismDERG-era predecessor to the Oromo Liberation Front. Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Organization?Early DERG-era organisation. Waz League?Minor predecessor to the Workers Party of Ethiopia. All Ethiopian Unity Party?N/AFormer member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. Semayawi Party?LiberalismMerged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. Coalition for Unity and DemocracyAmharic : ቅንጅት ለአንድነት እና ዴሞክራሲFormer coalition. Coalition of Ethiopian Democratic Forces?Formed by former arch-rivals MEISON and Ihapa. United Ethiopian Democratic ForcesAmharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲዊ ኃይሎቸ ሕብረትFormer coalition. Ethiopian Democratic Union?Helped form the Ethiopian Democratic Party. Gambela People's Democratic Unity Party?Nuer interestsFormed due to mass displacement of Nuer people. Gambela People's Liberation Movement?Former rebel group. Horyaal Democratic Front?Former Gadabuursi clan paramilitary group. Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front?Former clan-based rebel group.

Notes 1. In 2022, a party of the same name sent in application for a registration license, it was denied by The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) in August of the same year.

References

External links List of registered political parties on the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage Alphabet Soup, a 1995 list of Ethiopian parties prepared by the UN