Ethiopian Government cuts ties with the Northern Tigray region leadership

Oct 7, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — Ethiopian parliament has passed a resolution that federal officials should cut off ties with leaders from the northern Tigray region, which defied Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last month for holding elections his government deemed “illegal”.

The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation aired a statement by The House of Federation that it has “decided the federal government should sever any kind of relationship with the Tigray regional state assembly and the region’s highest executive body”.

The House of Federation, the upper house of parliament, further stated that the breakdown in relations between the prime Minister Abiy and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian politics before Abiy came to power in 2018 and is still in command in Tigray.

The federal government will however continue offering “basic services” to people in the region through local institutions.

The leaders in Tigray have accused the prime minister of delaying the elections without consulting them and that he wants to cling on to the power.

They rejected the extension of mandates — which would have expired in October — contending Abiy will have no legitimacy after that.

The Northern Trigray leadership held its own election for the Tigray parliament in September despite the federal government and electoral board announcing the postponement of all elections.

Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), had won most of the seats (189 of 190 seats) in the “illegitimate” elections that were held in the region.

While dismissing the Tigray vote as a “shanty election”, Abiy ruled out dramatic retaliatory measures like a military intervention or cutting off Tigray’s funding.

The Prime minister had postponed the elections to August next year due to COVID-19 Pandemic.