Ethiopian PM fires warning shots at TPLF over election standoff

ADDIS ABABA - The federal government of Ethiopia will take stiff actions against those violating the spirit of constitutionalism, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned on Thursday, in an indirect reference to the Tigray People's Liberation Front recent threats.

On Monday, TPLF, which has since fallen out with Ahmed's regime following the dissolution of Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front [EPRDF], insisted on holding polls in the Tegray region in August, despite the postponement by the National Electoral Board.

While issuing a statement on contemporary affairs, Dr. Ahmed said there is a need to embrace the participatory democratic system, adding the upcoming national election is a critical milestone to address such desire.

His administration, he said, will not tolerate actions that are geared towards undermining the rule of law, arguing that there is a need for stakeholders to condemn attempts meant to sabotage democratic space in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government, he noted, has been undertaking all the necessary preparations for the upcoming elections despite some political elites need to avoid the vote, state-owned Fana reported.

Dr. Ahmed urged stakeholders to respect the decision by the National Elections Board of Ethiopia [NEBE], which averred that it was unable to hold elections as scheduled due to raging Coronavirus pandemic across the world.

To date, 162 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Horn of Africa nation. Of this number, 65 have been discharged after recovering, while four have since died, the ministry of health announce.

Following the announcement of NEBE to postpone the election, the government was seeking options involving the participation of legal experts, he said, adding the experts formulated options that help postpone the election lawfully.

Various stakeholders have discussed the options, he said, adding the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) has approved and referred the issue of constitutional interpretation to the council of constitutional inquiry.

The remarks, even though indirect, targeted the TPLF which has broke ties with his administration. The TPLF said late on Monday it would proceed with elections in Tigray despite the nationwide postponement of voting.

"We are making preparations including the holding of a regional election in order to safeguard the rights of our people from chaos," a TPLF statement said. It did not mention a date for the vote.

Early this year, EPRDF dissolved to accommodate Prosperity Party, in an arrangement which was vehemently opposed by the TPLF. The move, stakeholders had said, would allow inclusiveness in a country where minorities have suffered for decades.

Ethiopia's National Elections Board said no request for a vote was submitted by TPLF and no organization other than the NEBE had a mandate to conduct any type of election.

Jawar Mohammed, a prominent activist and a media entrepreneur from Abiy's Oromo ethnic group, told Reuters that the Tigray dispute could destabilize the Horn of Africa.

"The federal and Tigray authorities are being unreasonable. The Tigray regional council can decide to hold elections and have the power to actually carry out the election," Jawar said.

But the TPLF statement accused Abiy's Prosperity Party of having no genuine interest in holding elections and that he was using the coronavirus pandemic as "an excuse to establish a one-man dictatorship".

The PP rebuffed the accusation. "The TPLF's stand has no constitutional basis. They have no mandate to hold elections. They are trying to destabilize the country in an attempt to grab power,” PP spokesman Awelu Abdi said.

Since taking over in 2018, Abiy has instigated a series of radical reforms, which have, however, paved way for ethnic tensions, driven by traditional grudges among communities in Ethiopia, whose freedom of expression had been trampled upon by previous regimes.

The standoff with Abiy's former allies TPLF could also risk eroding his credentials as a human rights defender and heavyweight arbiter, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2019.

GAROWE ONLINE