It sounds paradoxical to say that the TPLF “will not regain its status” when it is registered with NEBE as TPLF
Borkena.com
Toronto – The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on Friday announced that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is registered under special conditions but it will not regain its status.
The statement the board released on Friday details the back and forth communication between the Board and the TPLF and the Federal government.
Registration under special condition provision was included in the amendment introduced this year under proclamation 113/2016.
The Board argued that the amended proclamation does not have a provision that would allow the TPLF regain its status – the status before the devastating two years war.
It is also pointed out in the statement that 1332/2016 does have a provision to register parties who were involved in rebellious activities and ended it to return to political activity within the “constitutional democratic system.”
The condition for registration is that a relevant federal government authority has to confirm that a political party that was involved in rebellion has ended its rebellious activity and returned to peaceful struggle.
The Board noted in its release that the Ministry of Justice wrote a letter in early July that it has confirmed that the TPLF has agreed to end its rebellious activity and observe the “constitutional democratic system.”
The NEBE also stated that there was an agreement to use the term “registration under special condition” in preparing a certificate of registration for the TPLF.
Based on the disclosure from NEBE, the TPLF has already received the decision. It will have to prepare a national party congress within six months to ratify party rules and elect its leaders.
NEBE observers will attend party congress but before that the TPLF will have to notify the Board 21 days before the congress date. The Board said that it needs to follow up the process leading to the party congress too.
The news of TPLF registration came at a time when Getachew Reda announced, on Friday, that he will not take part in the congress citing “undemocratic practices” within the organization. It is now public that two factions within the organization are in a serious political acrimony.
TPLF’s response to the NEBE decision is yet to come.
The TPLF has been engaged in political and military provocations in the past few months despite the Ministry of Justice confirmation to NEBE that TPLF has “agreed to stop” illegal activity.
