Mekelle — Ethiopia's National Election Board (NEBE) has confirmed that the seventh general election will be held in the Tigray region, announcing a nationwide budget of 10 billion birr and the completion of key preparatory work. The announcement comes despite persistent objections from Tigray-based political parties, who say the absence of security, administrative capacity, and ongoing displacement of civilians make a credible election impossible.
Responding to lawmakers on 13 January 2026, NEBE Deputy Chair Tesfaye Niway confirmed that elections will proceed in Tigray, noting that discussions are underway with the Tigray Interim Administration and local political parties to facilitate the process, according to the House of Peoples' Representatives.
However, political parties in the region say NEBE's assurances do not address what they describe as the absence of minimum political, security, and administrative conditions necessary for a credible vote.
Kibrom Berhe, chairperson of the National Congress of Great Tigray (Baytona), told Addis Standard that the party has not submitted preliminary candidate data due to the destruction of election infrastructure and persistent insecurity. "The fact that the Pretoria Accord isn't implemented makes it too challenging to think about elections and carry out election-related tasks," Kibrom said in a written response.
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Kibrom added that access constraints remain severe. "The war-torn political and security environment of Tigray has made it inaccessible, and as a result, we cannot submit data on time." He also linked the lack of preparedness to the stalled implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
The debate over election readiness in Tigray unfolds amid renewed tensions over Pretoria Agreement implementation, with signatory parties accusing one another of failing to meet obligations. The legal status of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has emerged as a central point of contention. NEBE revoked the party's legal status in May 2025, and the TPLF has said elections in Tigray cannot proceed unless its legal status is restored.
Speaking to the media on 26 November, 2025, TPLF spokesperson Michael Asgedom said the federal government must honor the Pretoria Agreement and reinstate the party's legal status. "Whether they like it or not, it was the TPLF that negotiated the Pretoria Agreement. The TPLF is recognized internationally," he said.
"With the upcoming election, while suspending the TPLF illegally, who exactly are they planning to compete with in Tigray?"Michael asked.
In July 2024, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that unless the TPLF registers with NEBE, it would not be eligible to contest the seventh general election or form a government. He urged the party to submit the required documents under existing legal provisions, warning that failure to do so could lead to renewed conflict.
Regarding the legal status of TPLF, Melatwork said NEBE's decision to revoke the party's legal status remains in effect and that the board is not holding discussions with the party. She described issues related to the Pretoria Agreement as political matters for resolution by political actors, not the election board.
NEBE has announced that polling day for the seventh general election will be 1 June, 2026. Board Chairperson Melatwork Hailu said preparations are underway, including a digital system for registering political parties, candidates, and voters. She clarified that the submission of documents between 17 November and 2 December, 2025, is separate from formal candidate registration, scheduled from 10 December, 2025, to 9 January, 2026.
Political parties in Tigray, including the Tigrai Independence Party (TIP) and Salsay Weyane Tigray, expressed concern over NEBE's readiness. Dejen Mezgebo, Chairperson of Tigrai Independence Party told Addis Standard that NEBE appears technically and procedurally prepared but lacks substantive readiness for an election in post-conflict Tigray.
Kinfe Hadush, chairperson of Salsay Weyane Tigray, on his part said that the board's electoral timetable does not reflect realities on the ground, noting that over a third of Tigrayan territory remains under occupation and more than a million people are displaced.
The continued occupation of Western Tigray and the absence of its original population, political parties said, make voter registration, campaigning, and polling impossible in a manner reflecting constituents' will.
Addressing the concerns raised by the parties NEBE told Addis Standard that it has formally requested the Tigray Interim Administration to provide security and administrative assessment data to classify constituencies under its green, yellow, and red framework. "In the absence of this data, it is impossible to provide the requested categories," the board said.
NEBE further noted that Tigray will be considered ready for a credible election only once key conditions are met, including a security assessment from the Interim Government, accessible constituency offices and polling stations, mapped routes for election materials, completed voter registration, clarity on regional council seats, and enabling spaces for civil society, election observation, and political party campaigns during the official campaign period.
Ethiopia's sixth general election, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed after NEBE cited the COVID-19 pandemic. Tigrayan political leaders rejected the extension of federal and regional mandates, arguing that the federal government would lose legitimacy if elections were not held.
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The TPLF and four parties subsequently organized a regional election in Tigray, which federal authorities declared unconstitutional and "null and void." Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed later referred to the vote as a "shanty election."
The dispute further escalated tensions between the federal government and Tigray's leadership, culminating in the outbreak of war in November 2020.
The two-year war formally ended with the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on 2 November 2022. In March 2023, the Ethiopian parliament removed the TPLF from its terrorist designation.
Tigray currently has no elected representation in the House of Peoples' Representatives or the House of Federation, and no elected officials in the federal government following the war and cancellation of elections.
As Ethiopia advances electoral preparations nationally, whether conditions can be created for Tigray's meaningful participation in the 2026 general election remains an open and increasingly consequential question. AS
