Ethiopian Court Lifts Injunction on Election Board Amid Dispute Over Contested Constituencies
The Federal High Court of Ethiopia has revoked an injunction that temporarily barred the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) from acting on a directive from the House of Federation concerning five parliamentary constituencies contested between the Amhara and Tigray regional states. The injunction was formally lifted on March 12, 2026, following the withdrawal of a legal challenge by the Simeret Party.
The court’s initial restraining order was issued in early March after Simeret Party sued NEBE. The lawsuit responded to the Election Board’s public acknowledgment of a decision communicated by the House of Federation, the upper house of Ethiopia’s parliament. That communication directed that the five disputed constituencies—located in areas where administrative authority is contested between the Amhara and Tigray regional governments—should hold independent elections for seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives. The directive specified these elections would occur outside the jurisdiction of the Tigray regional government until the broader territorial dispute is resolved.
Simeret Party announced its decision to withdraw the case on March 11, 2026. The party stated its action was based on a determination that the House of Federation’s letter to NEBE lacked proper legal foundation. According to Simeret, the communication was issued solely by the Speaker of the House of Federation and was never presented to, debated by, or approved in a plenary session of the Council. The party argued that under Ethiopian law, a binding decision from the House of Federation requires discussion on the agenda and approval by vote of its members during a plenary session.
“A decision that can be considered legally valid by the Council is one that is discussed by its members in a plenary session, included on the agenda, and approved through a vote,” the party said in a statement. It added that continuing the litigation over a document it deemed procedurally invalid would waste judicial time and public resources.
With the plaintiff’s withdrawal, the Federal High Court removed the injunction, allowing NEBE to proceed with implementing the House of Federation’s original directive regarding the five constituencies. The constituencies in question are part of a long-standing administrative boundary conflict between the Amhara and Tigray regions, a dispute that has periodically fueled political tension.
The resolution of this specific legal hurdle clears the way for NEBE to organize separate elections in the contested areas. However, the underlying territorial disagreement between the two regional states remains unresolved, leaving the long-term administrative status of these constituencies uncertain. The episode highlights the complex interplay between Ethiopia’s federal institutions, regional authorities, and the electoral body in managing deeply entrenched local disputes.
