Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
The response that challenges the statement in the linked article regarding the National Election Board of Ethiopia’s (NEBE) revocation of the TPLF’s legal status:
Response Statement
The recent revocation of the TPLF’s legal status by Ethiopia’s National Election Board is not only legally questionable but also politically motivated. The TPLF, a founding member of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and a central political force for nearly three decades, has been recognized as a legitimate political party for over 50 years.
Stripping its legal status under the guise of “legal procedures” lacks genuine judicial transparency and sets a dangerous precedent of silencing political opposition through institutional means.
Labeling TPLF as a “criminal group” while denying it due process and representation undermines both national and international legal norms. Political grievances must be addressed through inclusive dialogue, not marginalization. The move to delist the TPLF exacerbates political polarization, threatens national reconciliation efforts, and violates the principles of political pluralism that are fundamental to Ethiopia’s constitution.
Furthermore, the unilateral expulsion of a regional party that enjoys significant public support in Tigray calls into question the commitment of federal institutions to uphold the constitutional rights of the people of that region.
Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution, which allows for the right to self-determination including secession, exists precisely to protect groups from such systemic political exclusion. Ignoring this legal safeguard while undermining a region’s chosen representatives risks inflaming tensions further.
The international community, civil society, and constitutional scholars must see this for what it is: an unlawful and politically motivated attempt to erase an opposition force rather than reckon with the deeper national issues at stake. Accountability for all crimes must be pursued impartially, but political disenfranchisement is not justice—it is obstruction.
