Ethiopia’s electoral board said it canceled the license of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for participating in rebellion, a move that confirms the region’s former ruling party will not participate in upcoming federal elections.
The federal government and the dissident group in Ethiopia’s north have been in conflict since Nov. 4, following an attack on a military base in Tigray. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed blamed the attack on the TPLF, a group that dominated Ethiopian politics before he came to power in 2018.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia also requested a list of TPLF assets from the Attorney General’s Office, according to a statement posted online. The assets will be used for voter and civic education after party debts are paid off in accordance with electoral law.
Ethiopia will hold general elections on June 5, after delaying a planned vote last August because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fifty-two parties are expected to participate in the elections, the board said.
