By Staff Reporter
June 15, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- Leaders of the Inter-Religious Council and Elders Consultative Forum of Ethiopia are to mediate federal government and the Tigray regional administration as the political disputes between them escalate.
The mediating team consisting of representatives of seven religious institutions and scholars will leave for Mekele on Tuesday to start the negotiation.
Public Relations Head of the council Haji Mesud Adem told DW Amharic service that the mediating team has already got the approval from Mekele.
“The negotiation will focus on breaking the silence and facilitating face to face discussion between officials of the federal and Tigray region governments to resolve their differences,” Mesud said.
The political dispute, however, is unlikely reconcilable due to the fact that the federal government postponed the 6th general elections due to COVID-19 pandemic while the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) insists that it will have its own election in the region.
“The council initiated the idea of facilitating discussion between the two forces considering the escalating disputes that will potentially affect the peace and stability of the country,” he said.
Last week, the council of Tigray regional state unanimously passed a resolution to conduct the 6th general elections at the regional level.
The council neither specified the polling date nor mentioned which electoral board will organize the election.
Public Relations Head with the regional state Mulugeta Tareke, however, was quoted as saying that “the election would take place end of next August.”
The regional council also extended the state of emergency it had declared to stem the spread of the virus by another two months amid an increasing number of cases.
TPLF argues, by conducting the election, it will respect the rights of the electorates in Tigray state and defend the constitutional principle that “no government can stay in power after five years without an election."
Based on a recommendation proposed to it by the Council Constitutional Inquiry, the House of Federation approved recommendation to postpone the tenure of government, federal and regional councils as well as executive bodies.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia has confirmed 176 new coronavirus cases and three deaths on Monday out of 5,636 samples, Ethiopian Ministry of Health stated.
The new report has increased the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,521.
Of the new confirmed cases, 116 are male and 60 are female with the youngest being 5 years old and the oldest 90 years, it added.
The ministry also stated that 75 people have recovered from the virus taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 620.
There are now a total of 2,839 active cases in Ethiopia, with 29 of them in a severe condition. The total number of tests conducted so far stands at 186,985.
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