The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has revoked the legal status of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), alleging the party’s alleged failure to adhere to the country’s electoral laws and regulations.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NEBE stated TPLF’s non-compliance with Proclamation No. 1332/2016 and related directives, despite having been granted legal personality under a “special arrangement” following the Pretoria Agreement.
The TPLF, which marked its 50th anniversary earlier this year, was issued with warning by the Board in February that failure to conduct the assembly would result in revocation. In its statement today, NEBE says the party “failed to comply”.
The board emphasized that while it initially rejected the TPLF’s request for the reinstatement of its previous legal standing, which was revoked due to the party’s involvement in acts of violence under Proclamation No. 1162/2011, a new opportunity for registration under a “special arrangement” was provided following the amendment of the electoral law.
Despite repeated written warnings and a three-month suspension from all political activities granted to allow the TPLF to take corrective measures, the NEBE concluded that the party remained unwilling to fulfill its legal duties, the statement said.
The Board cited Article 3(11)(c) of Proclamation No. 1332/2016 and Article 19(1)(c) of Directive No. 25/2016 as the legal basis for its final decision to dissolve the TPLF’s registration.
The TPLF, however, maintained that it never recognized the “special registration” offered by NEBE, insisting that the November 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) grants it de facto reinstatement.
The party argues that the Pretoria Agreement, signed between the federal government and the TPLF to end the two-year war in northern Ethiopia, requires the restoration of its pre-war legal status. In its decision, the NEBE said the TPLF’s argument “is not acceptable.”
MG/abj/APA