Ex-Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael re-elected as TPLF chair

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has re-elected Debretsion Gebremichael, the former President of the Tigray region, as its chairman during the party’s 14th Congress, held on August 20, 2024, in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray.

According to the Addis Standard the congress, however, was marked by internal conflicts, leading to significant leadership changes and boycotts from key members.

Notably, Getachew Reda, who has been leading the Tigray Interim Administration, was suspended from his role as deputy chairman and replaced by Amanuel Assefa.

The leadership upheaval has raised questions about the future direction of the TPLF and the Tigray Interim Administration, particularly at a time when efforts to rebuild the war-torn region are ongoing.

The 14th Congress also saw the election of a new nine-member executive committee, with only three members—Debretsion, Fitlework Gebre Egziabher, and Dr. Abraham Tekeste—retaining their positions from the previous committee elected during the party’s 13th Congress in September 2018.

Demotions

Prominent figures such as Ambassador Addisalem Belema and Getachew Asefa, a former Chief of Ethiopia’s spy agency, were demoted from the executive committee to the broader 45-member Central Committee.

Tensions within the party were highlighted over the weekend when a separate conference, organised by Getachew Reda and other key members who boycotted the Congress, declared the 14th Congress's resolutions "null and void."

This group, under the theme “Salvation of the People and the Party,” issued an 11-point resolution challenging the legitimacy of the Congress’s decisions.

Complicating matters further, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) declared the Congress and its outcomes illegal due to non-compliance with its bylaws.

This declaration adds another layer of uncertainty to the future of TPLF leadership and the administration in Tigray.

The Congress also resulted in the election of 45 Central Committee members and a nine-member Party Control Committee.

However, it remains unclear how Getachew Reda’s suspension from the party will affect his role as president of the interim administration of Tigray, a position he was appointed to by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed following the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which ended the two-year conflict in the region.