The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has officially revoked the registration of the Ethiopian Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) as a political party in Ethiopia.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, NEBE said it received a letter from EPRDF Chairperson that the front no longer exists.
Founded 30 years ago by four political parties which were formed along ethnic lines, namely the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), later renamed Amhara Democratic Party (ADP); Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), later renamed Oromo Democratic Party (ODP); and the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). The coalition front ruled the nation for 28 years until it was replaced by the Prosperity Party (PP) last month.
Masterminded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Prosperity Party, formed by the merger of ADP, ODP and SEPDM and five other regional parties, has been ruling the nation even though its legitimacy is highly criticized by TPLF.
TPLF accuses the central government of establishing a new party against the constitution and the will of the Ethiopian people who elected member parties of the EPRDF to form a government and lead the country.
“Establishing a new party which was not elected by the people of Ethiopia is tantamount to destroying the constitution and rejecting the will of the Ethiopian public,” TPLF claimed in a recent statement
In another letter addressed to NEBE, the Chairperson of TPLF also requested the electoral board to pass decisions over the distribution of property belonging to the demised EPRDF.
The board said even though both parties were not entitled legally to declare the liquidation of the EPRDF, the board has passed a decision after it looked into issues related to why the front would be abolished and the outcome that will follow.
After the three-member parties of EPRDF decided to form the Prosperity Party to replace the EPRDF, the board unanimously approved the demise of the EPRDF and renounced its legitimacy.
The board also passed decisions over the distribution of assets owned by the then EPRDF.
The board has passed a decision that required both PP and TPLF to name a financial auditor in charge of clearing assets of the demised EPRDF. After paying the liabilities, all four founding members of the EPRDF, namely TPLF, ADP, ODP, and SEPDM will each get 25 percent of the net proceeds.
The board also advised the two parties to finalize the tasks of asset sharing between them based on the law of the land and report the result to the board in six months.
Via-Horn Dipomat
