Election Board Reinstates TPLF Under ‘special Circumstances’

Getachew Reda to boycott upcoming party meeting

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has registered the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a political party, reversing the legal recognition it lost during the two-year northern war. The Board granted the recognition under “special circumstances.”

The NEBE decision, announced on August 9, 2024, follows a recommendation for reinstatement from the Ministry of Justice, which says it recognizes the TPLF’s commitment to adhere to constitutional law and cease involvement in criminal activity. The move also comes amid reports of a widening rift among TPLF leadership.

A press release from the Board says the decision to reinstate the party is in alignment with the recently amended Political Parties Registration and Electoral Ethics Proclamation, which allows the re-registration of previously banned parties under strict conditions.

“TPLF’s request to be reinstated under its previous legal entity was denied because there is no legal provision allowing the re-registration of parties involved in acts of violence,” reads the NEBE press release.

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The Board has instructed the TPLF to approve its bylaws and elect new leadership within a six-month window.

“The TPLF has been directed to convene a general meeting within six months of this decision to ratify,” reads the press release.

Election Board officials say they will be keeping a close eye on the party to ensure it adheres to the terms of its registration.

Still, the process has not been without controversy. Disputes between the federal government and the TPLF regarding the conditions of re-registration have persisted, with some factions within the TPLF expressing dissatisfaction with the terms imposed.

A couple of months ago, Parliament ratified an amended Electoral bill, which lawmakers say addresses gaps in provisions for the re-registration of political parties that had engaged in armed violence or terrorist activities, even if they later pursued peaceful political engagement. Under the new law, the Board can legally reaccept such parties.

TPLF officials and their counterparts in the incumbent Prosperity Party have been engaged in a dispute over the terms of the former’s reinstatement. TPLF leadership wants to see the party retain its pre-war status—a proposition opposed by the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD).

The PM recently cautioned that failure to concede, re-register, and conduct a general assembly could lead to renewed conflict.

The developments also coincide with a split in the upper echelons of TPLF leadership, with Getachew Reda, deputy chairman and president of the Tigray Interim Administration, declaring he will not participate in an upcoming party meeting as a result of the divisions.

Inside sources told The Reporter that TPLF leadership is split between a reformist faction led by Getachew, which wants to re-register the TPLF as a new party, and a conservative faction led by Debretsion Gebremichael, which wants to see a restoration of the party’s pre-war status.

The Prosperity Party is aligned with the reformists, according to the sources.