ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian lawmakers voted Tuesday to lift a state of emergency imposed three months ago across the country to curb widespread anti- government protests.

The ending of the emergency rule two months before it was due to expire is the most significant reform so far by the country's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who has promised change.

The controversial emergency rule, imposed in mid-February after deadly protests, mainly in the Oromia and Amhara regions, led to several hundred arrests.

Ethiopia's parliament voted to lift end the emergency rule by a general show of hands. Eight members abstained from the vote and a few members of parliament raised concerns citing security breaches in some parts of the country.

The anti-government protests have persisted for more than two and a half year.