Mereja Forum

[sarcasm]

........... What struck the camel`s back between Abiy and TPLF leaders was his decision to disband the EPRDF almost after 30 years of its existence and merge it into one national party. Although not new to the EPRDF`s leaders, the tenacity and speed with which Abiy moved with the merger disgruntled not only the TPLF leaders. The closest ally in his path to power, Lemma Megerssa, was opted out as the TPLF decided to go solo.

Solo, they did with the regional elections in September last year, even after parliament postponed national elections by one year, attributing to the outbreak of COVID-19. The House of Federation (the Senate) passed a resolution outlawing unilateral conduct of elections as illegitimate, for it was only the national electoral board, headquartered in Addis Ababa, with the mandate to conduct elections.

Abiy had warned, failure to comply would have consequences.

TPLF leaders believed there was no constitutional base for the two federal legislative houses and regional states to continue as legitimate after their terms ended in October 2020. The constitution does not grant any of them the ability to stay beyond the five-year they were elected for. While pursuing elections at the regional level, TPLF leaders declared their intention not to recognize the federal government, parliament, the House of Federation and other regional states as legitimate bodies to conduct the country's affairs.

The House of Federation retorted, declaring the outcome of the elections in Tigray “null and void.” The Tigray State hastily formed an electoral body that had declared the TPLF winning 99% of the 2.7 million votes cast in an election no regional state ever held over the past two-decade.

Both sides had entered into a slippery slope, depriving each other of recognition; they went on the road of mutual delegitimization. It was a matter of not “if” but “when” war breaks out between forces loyal to the Tigray Regional State and the Federal government. The TPLF showed its defiance when its leaders denied entry to a commanding general who was assigned to the Northern Command, stationed in Tigray.


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