Ethiopia - May 2025
Election Commission revokes TPLF’s legal status, straining fragile peace
On 14 May, Ethiopia’s National Election Board banned the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) for failing to hold a general assembly. The TPLF, which led a coalition that ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until 2019, has remained the dominant political force in Tigray. The party denounced the decision and appealed to the African Union, warning it threatens the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended the Tigray War. The electoral board’s move was followed on 26 May by the provisional registration of former TPLF official Getachew Reda’s new party, deepening mistrust between the federal government and the TPLF. The delisting raises further fears of a return to war in northern Ethiopia, given internal divisions in Tigray and widespread anger at the federal decision. Implementation of the peace deal has stalled amid unresolved territorial disputes, reported TPLF-Eritrea talks, protests in southern Tigray, and the emergence of new anti-TPLF groups allegedly backed by the federal government.
Sources: International IDEA, Barron’s, Africa Confidential, British Broadcasting Corporation, International Crisis Group,The Reporter - Ethiopia
