By Staff Reporter
October 16, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) has called the plan to change the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) from coalition to one party “Illegal.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday at the end of a week-long meeting, the TPLF, one the founding members of Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, condemned Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s move to form a single party. “It will be like merging “fire and hay (grass)” it said in a statement.
The proposed single party would be quite different both in form and shape with the existing EPRDF, and the new party, whose formation process is underway against the bylaw of the front, cannot lead the nation, the TPLF statement said.
The proposed single party not only lacks the consent of the general public to stay in power, but also does not have the legal ground to compete in the upcoming elections, the statement noted.
The TPLF, which characterized the inter-relationship among member parties within the EPRDF as “fire and hay (grass)” said the political parties cannot step ahead as a front, let alone as a single party.
It is unlikely to form a single party by merging the existing ones which are nagging one another,” TPLF executive member Getachew Reda was quoted as saying.
He said TPLF does not and will never accept the idea of forming a single party as opposed to the drive that is going on in Addis Ababa.
In the absence of a similar political outlook among members parties of EPRDF, it is impossible to from a single party, the statement said, adding that “the move is tantamount to dividing the nation.”
TPLF, in the statement also said, Ethiopia has been facing growing serious challenges one after another, putting national unity at crossroads.
The statement called on the general public to fight the formation of a single party, which it claimed is done against the constitutional rights of the people.
Recalling previous friendship in the fight against the Derg regime, the TPLF called on the government in Asmara, Eritrea, to work together for sustainable peace and enhanced integration between the peoples of Tigray and Eritrea. It is to be recalled that Eritrean President Isayas Afewrki is TPLF's longtime enemy, who in 2018 declared "game over" to signify the end of TPLF power.
Notwithstanding the strongly-worded statement, it is unknown what leverage the TPLF has to stop the planned move to one party by central authorities in Addis Ababa, including Abiy Ahmed. After burning bridges with the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), losing the support of many other regional parties in Ethiopia, and decades of hostility with its northern neighbor, Eritrea, the TPLF seems to be drifting away from any influence or significance in Ethiopian politics and yet with no clear path to self-rule.
You can watch the video of the full TPLF statement on Ezega Videos.
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