Home / opinion / TPLF warns, once again, of ‘grave threat’ to Pretoria Agreement amid looming recognition dispute with Electoral Board

TPLF warns, once again, of ‘grave threat’ to Pretoria Agreement amid looming recognition dispute with Electoral Board

he party accused NEBE of acting contrary to the spirit and content of the agreement, saying the Board “continues its political stance that undermines trust under the guise of ‘legal cover’.”

The party continued to argues that even the African Union Panel, one of the Pretoria Agreement’s mediating bodies, recommended that its legal status be reinstated, but noted that the panel has failed to reconvene to evaluate the situation and enforce its recommendation.

The TPLF has since maintained that NEBE’s refusal to reinstate its legal status contradicts both the letter and spirit of the Pretoria Agreement. It contends that the Board is “selectively interpreting: laws and that new proclamations aimed at re-registering political groups do not apply to it.

In May 2023, the TPLF formally requested that its original registration be restored. NEBE responded by stating that existing law does not allow for such reinstatement, only new registration. The party has categorically refused to comply.

“This may work for other groups like Fano who are not established as a party before,” TPLF stated at the time, “but it can’t be applicable to us.”

NEBE’s suspension and TPLF’s defiance

The latest confrontation stems from NEBE’s February 13, 2025, decision to suspend the TPLF from political activities for failing to hold a general assembly. NEBE said the party failed to comply with legal requirements following its “special registration” on August 9, 2024, under Proclamation No. 1332/2016. The Board warned that the party’s registration would be canceled if it failed to take corrective action within three months.

Subsequently, the NEBE had repeatedly reminded the party to conduct its general congress, approve bylaws, and elect leadership, requirements the Board says were unmet. However, the TPLF insists it never accepted the registration certificate issued on August 9, claiming it was inconsistent with the terms of the Pretoria Agreement.

“Perhaps NEBE refers to revoking the certificate it claims to have issued on August 3, 2024, which we never accepted,” the party stated. “Saying it will revoke recognition that was never reinstated is meaningless,” its statement from last night reads.

The TPLF revealed, for the first time, that it had postponed its 14th regular congress in July 2024 after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other federal officials suggested its legal recognition would be restored before the congress was held. However, the party said the promise was not honored.

“After waiting all this time, the response we received broke the promise made,” the TPLF said. “The legal framework for re-registration also imposes restrictions on our organization unlike any other Ethiopian political party.”

Despite the rejection of its request, however, the TPLF proceeded with its 14th regular congress in August 2024, a congress that effectively split the party into two.

Citing NEBE’s continued threats to cancel its legal status, the TPLF has once again called upon the African Union, IGAD, and the broader international community to “take responsibility for enforcing the Pretoria Agreement.”

“The electoral board can only administer us when it grants us the recognition we have requested and is our right,” the statement asserted. “We call upon the international community to fulfill their political, legal, and moral obligations to ensure the full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.”

The statement concluded: “The Pretoria Agreement is the apple of our eye. Our organization and the peace-loving people of Tigray will continue to work in good faith to implement it.

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