Parliament amends law enabling one-year extension for Tigray interim admin

Addis Abeba– The House of People’s Representatives on Tuesday amended a proclamation allowing interim administrations to be extended twice, each for up to one year. This change enables the Tigray Interim Administration, whose mandate recently expired, to be extended for an additional year.

The amendment revises Proclamation No. 359/2003, the System for the Intervention of the Federal Government in the Regions, which governs federal intervention in regional states. Approved by a majority vote, the amendment also shifts the authority to extend interim administrations from the House of Federation to the Speaker of the House.

The previous proclamation stated that the federal government could intervene in a regional state when the regional government was “unable to maintain peace and security,” when “gross human rights violations occurred and the regional government failed to address them,” or when “the constitutional order was endangered.” It also allowed for the establishment of an interim administration “accountable to the Federal Government” by suspending the State Council and the highest executive organ of the region.

However, the proclamation limited interim administrations to a two-year term, with a possible six-month extension “if deemed necessary.”

The explanatory note attached to the amendment argues that this timeframe “does not align with the current reality,” emphasizing that resolving “extremely complex security and political problems” requires flexibility. It cites the Tigray region as an example, noting that “even after a two-year term, conditions have not been created to establish a regular regional government through elections.”

The revised proclamation also justifies the change by noting that the House of Federation meets “only twice a year” and that its members have “high and overlapping government responsibilities” in their respective regions. Due to these constraints, it explains that “when it becomes necessary to extend the term of an interim administration, it becomes difficult to convene a meeting, hold discussions, and make decisions in a short time.” To address this, the amendment grants the Speaker of the House the authority to approve extensions, while stipulating that the decision must be presented and approved during the House’s regular session.

The amendment further outlines that if the House rejects the decision to extend the term, “an election must be held within four months from the time the decision is rejected, and a regular regional government administration must be established.”

Furthermore, the amendment states that decisions made by the Speaker or the House regarding interim administrations “may indicate issues that the administration should focus on,” These are described as “necessary actions to permanently eliminate the situation that caused federal government intervention and to strengthen the constitutional order.”

This amendment follows Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s earlier remarks to legislators, in which he expressed his belief that the Tigray Interim Administration, whose mandate recently expired, would be extended for another year. He also indicated that “there may be changes” in its leadership.

He emphasized that extending the interim administration’s mandate would require legal amendments but noted that further evaluation was necessary before making any revisions. “Based on this assessment, and in a manner that respects the Pretoria Peace Agreement, the interim administration will continue to function until the upcoming elections,” he stated.

It has been two years since the Tigray Interim Administration was established as part of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA), signed between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government in November 2022. The federal government appointed Getachew Reda as the president.

However, since June 2024, a rift within the TPLF between Debretsion Gebremichael (PhD) and Getachew has disrupted the administration’s operations. Debretsion’s faction previously called for Getachew’s removal, while the interim administration accused Debretsion’s group of attempting to “destabilize” the region through a “coup d’état.” Tensions escalated recently when Getachew suspended three senior military commanders, a move rejected by the region’s Peace and Security Bureau, which argued it violated “legal procedures.”

The interim administration accused the suspended generals of actions that could “drag the region into internal conflict,” but the Peace and Security Bureau dismissed the suspension as “unlawful.” Amid the crisis, Getachew, who has been in Addis Abeba for three weeks, sought “necessary assistance” from the federal government.

However, Debretsion’s faction rejected the request, warning that any calls for third-party intervention posed a “serious threat” to the Pretoria Peace Agreement.

Last week, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed Getachew’s departure from his position as interim president of Tigray and called on the people of Tigray to participate in nominating candidates for the new interim administration president. AS

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