The middle and senior leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have strongly condemned the order issued by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) requiring the party to re-register. They have demanded that the party’s legal entity be restored in accordance with the Pretoria Agreement. Additionally, they have expressed their opposition to the interim council formed by the interim administration led by Getachew Reda, whose term in office has ended.

The party’s senior and middle-level leaders made this announcement in a statement released on May 4, 2025, following a three-day meeting held from May 1 to May 3, 2025. The meeting, conducted under the theme “Our National Unity to Secure Our Sovereignty,” was attended by 1,337 middle and senior party leaders.

In their statement, the leaders reaffirmed the TPLF’s historical significance, emphasizing that the party, with its 50-year legacy, is “embodied in the hearts of the people.” They asserted that “we believe that the recognition of the party is determined by the people of Tigray.” and denounced NEBE’s repeated attempts to register the TPLF as a new party, arguing that this violates the Pretoria Agreement.

The statement also criticized NEBE for “reducing the issue to a mere technical matter” and accused the board of violating the provisions of the Pretoria Agreement. The leaders insisted that the party’s legal status must be restored accordingly.

Furthermore, the leaders assessed the implementation of the Pretoria Ceasefire Agreement, expressing frustration with the federal government’s “lack of commitment” to its full execution. They argued that, aside from the disarmament process, mediators have demonstrated “limited readiness” to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement.

As a result, they highlighted the ongoing suffering of the people of Tigray, including those displaced in refugee camps and those under the control of invading forces are subjected to persecution, and affected by “invading forces.” They underscored the seriousness of the situation, stating that the people “have reached a point where they can no longer tolerate these hardships.” In response, the leaders emphasized that “the constitutional sovereignty of Tigray must be restored in accordance with the Pretoria Agreement” by addressing the “fundamental political problem.”

Another key issue raised in the statement was the existence of the “interim council,” which includes opposition parties from the region. The leaders criticized its formation, arguing that it “violates the constitutional authority of the people, lacks public involvement, suffers from major transparency issues, and has been imposed on the people by the ruling power.”

They firmly rejected the council, describing it as “unconstitutional and anti-democratic,” and declared it “completely unacceptable.” The leaders called on the interim administration, the federal government, and other political forces to “make adequate preparations for an elected government in the region” and “ensure fair and democratic elections in Tigray.”