The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has called for a separate entity to be created through a new political pact to steer clear of the looming deadlock over the conduct of the upcoming national elections. This is in sharp contrast to the direction the federal government has taken, seeking a constitutional interpretation of the clause that concerns the polling schedule.

In a statement issued yesterday, the TPLF declared that the Prosperity Party (PP) has no legitimacy to hold elections and proposed the establishment of a 'political entity' that will be composed of members from different political parties and will be tasked with overseeing the election process.

"We'd like to see another political arrangement that would oversee this,” Getachew Reda, a political bureau member of the TPLF, told Fortune.

This is not a proposition those in charge of the incumbent party are willing to digest, showing that both are heading to a standoff.

A five-point statement, issued after a three-day meeting of the political bureau of the TPLF held between May 1 and 3, 2020, also called for a national dialogue and highlighted its determination to hold regional elections if elections are postponed outside of the constitutional framework. The party called the move to postpone elections on the grounds of fighting Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) the final act in undermining the constitutional order. For the TPLF, the outbreak of COVID-19 is an "excuse rather than a cause for postponing the elections."

The TPLF questioned the powers of the House of Federation to interpret the Constitution as an instrument "used to prolong the term in office" of the incumbent political party.

"The responsibility of the House is to clarify constitutional provisions and not to rewrite them," said the statement.

“We still can work on a deferred election but it can only be done within the framework of the Constitution,” Getachew said.