ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s national elections body on Thursday imposed a three-month suspension on a party that administers the war-scarred Tigray region, saying it had breached laws governing its internal affairs.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had failed to organise a general assembly of its members, hold elections for its party officials or approve its bylaws, the National Election Board of Ethiopia said in a statement.
The party has been unable to conduct internal elections because of a split into two factions, with each laying claim to control of the party.
The election board supervises the conduct of political parties in addition to conducting elections.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The TPLF runs Tigray’s interim administration, established in 2023 as part of a peace agreement that ended a devastating war between Tigrayan forces and the federal government.
The two-year war ended with a truce signed in November 2022 after tens of thousands of people were killed and millions forced from their homes in northern Ethiopia.
But tensions arose over the implementation of the peace deal, leading to a split within the TPLF.
Analysts fear the deepening rift could spill over into violence, further destabilising Africa’s second-most populous country, which is already plagued by conflicts in the Amhara and Oromiya regions.
Representatives of both factions did not respond to requests for comment.
KEY QUOTES
“The party has failed to abide by the above-mentioned laws and directives, which are serious violations,” the National Election Board of Ethiopia said in a statement.
“Due to this, the board has decided to suspend the party from taking part in any political activities for three months; starting from the notice date.”
(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Giulia Paravicini; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Christina Fincher)
