opposition party observers were present in most of the polling stations that the AU observed, and found no evidence to support the opposition's charges of pre-election intimidation. At the same time, chief AU observer and former President of Botswana Ketumile Masire noted that "the AU were unable to observe the pre-election period. The participating parties expressed dissatisfaction with the pre-election period. They did not have freedom to campaign. We had no way of verifying the allegations." Masire said that the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) handled the election in a professional manner and did not interfere with the electoral materials. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi attributed the election results to the EPRDF's past performance, in particular citing the country's economic growth. According to the International Monetary Fund, Ethiopia's economy grew 9.9% in 2009 and was expected to grow 7% in 2010. Some analysts suggest that the result is a combination of the EPRDF's performance along with state-sponsored intimidation of the opposition. On 21 June 2010, the NEBE released the final election results, which confirmed the preliminary results from the previous month. The EPRDF won 499 of the 547 available parliamentary seats, opposition or independent candidates won two seats, and EPRDF-allied parties won the remaining seats. Additionally, the EPRDF won all but one of 1,904 council seats in regional elections. The opposition had filed appeals with the election board and the Ethiopian Supreme Court, but both appeals were rejected. On July 20, the Court of Cassation, Ethiopia's highest court, rejected the opposition's final appeal. 2015 general elections Parliamentary elections were held in Ethiopia on 24 May 2015. The result was a victory for the ruling EPRDF, which won 500 of the 547 seats. Allies of the EPRDF won the remaining seats. 2020 general elections This election was postponed by the ruling party citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Some regional elections will be held on the 30th September. See also National Election Board of Ethiopia Electoral calendar Electoral system References External links Adam Carr's Election Archive African Elections Database "Rights group accuses gov't of suppressing opposition" - UN IRIN News International Herald Tribune Election Coverage Ruling party named winner in final result of disputed poll, IRIN, 5 September 2005 BBC 2010 election report (Audio) The Sparrow News - Ethiopia Election