Tigray Holds Regional Elections to Protest Ethiopian Leadership

Voters line up to cast their ballots in the contentious Tigray regional elections.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of Ethiopia opened the polls on September 9 despite a federal mandate delaying national elections. Though Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay, the TPLF considers the move a precursor to a dictatorial power-grab. 

The TPLF, which toppled the communist Derg regime in 1991, has been a dominating force in Ethiopian politics for almost 30 years. After widespread anti-government demonstrations, however, Abiy’s Prosperity Party (PP) ousted the party in 2018.

The PP now holds power in all regions of Ethiopia except for the northernmost state of Tigray, where secessionists continue to threaten local governance. Last week’s elections highlighted the growing discontent between the Tigray people and the PP government. With roughly 97 percent turnout, the TPLF claimed 152 of 190 seats in the regional parliament, seriously throwing into flux the influence that the PP previously held in the province. In light of these results, PP leadership has declared the regional elections to have had “no legal basis,” with Abiy describing them as “shanty.” 

Despite immense pushback from the PP-controlled central government, Tigray Vice President Abraham Tekeste doubled down, saying that “COVID-19 cannot be a reason to postpone” elections in his region.

Salsay Woyane Tigray opposition party chairman Hayalu Godefay accused the TPLF of commiting election fraud and stealing votes. The party is “still trying to have full evidence of these issues." 

Hardline supporters of Abiy’s regime have begun to urge “punitive” action in the form of economic sanctions and military intervention to punish the region for the election. Although Abiy has denounced the military option, a statement from the Tigray state council warned that any potential infringement on their territory would be “tantamount to declaration of war.” 

The potential negative consequences of Tigrayan political instability span beyond just civil unrest in Ethiopia. Tigray shares a border with the country of Eritrea, which has long been in conflict with the Ethiopian government. Abiy is currently in the middle of tense border negotiations with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

As part of a peace deal signed in 2018, both leaders agreed that Badme—a border town claimed by both Ethiopia and Eritrea—would be under Eritrean control. However, the TPLF stands in strong opposition to the deal. Citing a lack of consultation, the party leadership maintains that Badme is part of Tigray. 

Increasing political polarization has also created an opening for the rise of the Tigray Independence Party (TIP), which aims to secure Tigrayan independence from Ethiopia. The party’s emergence has sparked fears of secession, though at present the party has failed to take control from the TPLF.