Why Tigray’s 2015 Local Officials’ Claims Are a House of Cards: Debunking Dr. Fiseha Haftetsion and Amanuel Assefa’s Disinformation

By LJDemissie
March 18, 2025

Dedicated to the People of Ethiopia, Especially Tigrayans Courageously Denouncing the TPLF’s Criminality

Picture someone swearing their 2015 movie ticket still gets them into theaters in 2025, long after it expired. That’s the ridiculous lie Dr. Fiseha Haftetsion and Amanuel Assefa, Vice President

of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), pushed at a March 13, 2025, press conference, captured in the YouTube video “TPLF’s statement on the current issues of Tigray” (posted by “woyen” #ref1).

Representing Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael’s TPLF faction, Dr. Fiseha delivered a press conference in English. He claimed that Tigray’s local officials—elected in 2015 at zone (county), Woreda (district), and Kebele (ward) levels—still remain valid. He stated these officials elect council members and that the councils, typically composed of elected officials, remain valid. Although councils at zone, Woreda, and Kebele levels are not mentioned in Tigray Kilil’s (state) constitution, he suggested their validity extends from the elected officials and remains in place today.

I note, however, that even if such councils were created under lower-level constitutions, their terms would end with the officials’ terms in 2020, leaving them legally unrecognized today.Meanwhile, Amanuel, in Tigrinya, speaking, stated that the 2012 Ethiopian calendar election (2015 Gregorian) “remains valid until the next election— whenever that might happen,” as reported by The Reporter’s Amharic edition (March 16, 2025 #ref2). No law supports his claim—it’s pure disinformation from the TPLF to mislead people.

The absurdity of Dr. Fiseha and Amanuel’s assertion is striking; it’s akin to saying a movie ticket from 2015 is still valid for entry in 2025. Such claims defy both logic and legal precedent, unsupported by any law and pure disinformation from the TPLF to mislead people. Here’s the unvarnished truth, tearing their story apart, and why both must face consequences.

The Facts: Terms Expired, No “Councils,” No Extensions

In May 2015 (2007 Ethiopian calendar), Tigray held elections. Voters directly elected officials for the State Council (regional body), Zones (intermediary bodies), Woredas (district-level bodies), and Kebeles (local-level bodies). The TPLF claimed a 100% sweep. The Tigray Constitution (Article 42(2) #ref3) gives the State Council a five-year term, ending May 2020. Local officials—Zones, Woredas, Kebeles—got the same five-year cycle, expiring May 2020, per Ethiopia’s standard practice. Neither the Federal Constitution (1995) nor Tigray’s Constitution mentions “councils” at these local levels—only the State Council exists regionally.

In 2020, COVID-19 struck. The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) invoking Article 93, postponed the August 2020 elections, extending terms until 2021 (#ref4). The TPLF rejected this decision and in defiance, held a State Council-only election on September 9, 2020 (98.5% TPLF win), which the federal government nulled and voided as illegal (Article 9(1)). No elections happened for Zones, Woredas, or Kebeles—their 2015 terms stayed expired as of 2020. By 2025, Dr. Fiseha says these officials formed “councils” from January to March 2025, picking new leaders to oust Getachew Reda’s appointees (Interim President of Tigray since 2023). Amanuel doubles down, claiming those 2015 terms are “valid until the next election.” Both are wrong.

Debunking the Lies: No Law, Just Tricks

1. Expired Terms: The Tigray Constitution (Article 42(2)) and Federal Constitution(Article 54(1) #ref5) set five-year terms. The 2015 officials—local and State—expired May 2020. The 2020 State Council election didn’t renew local levels and was illegal. Amanuel’s “valid until next election” ignores this—no constitution extends terms without a vote. They’re dead in 2025.

2. Fake “Councils”: Dr. Fiseha’s “councils” don’t exist. The constitutions only name the “State Council” (regional). In 2015, voters elected local officials directly—no “council” picked them. This is a TPLF-made term, not law, to fake legitimacy for expired officials.

3. No Extensions Allowed: Amanuel’s claim hinges on no new election, but the Federal Constitution (Article 93) gave the federal government power to extend terms in 2020—Tigray defied it. The Tigray Constitution doesn’t let expired officials linger or pick successors. Both claims collapse here.

4. Pretoria Dodge: Dr. Fiseha says Pretoria’s silence keeps 2015 terms alive. Wrong. The Federal Constitution (Article 50) ties regional rules to federal election laws—silence doesn’t rewrite terms. Pretoria Peace Agreement(2022) (#ref6) is about peace, not governance tricks.

Press Conference: Lies and Violence

At the March 13 press conference, Dr. Fiseha (English) and Amanuel Assefa (Tigrinya), Interim VP, pushed this fraud. The Reporter’s English piece (March 15, “Calls for restraint…”) skipped Amanuel’s “2012 elections are still valid in 2025” claim (#ref7), but the Amharic version (March 16, “The Situation…”) caught it (#ref2).

Getachew Reda, Interim President, hit back. In an Amharic press conference, he called it a “coup” (#ref8) saying Dr. Debretsion’s TPLF faction forcibly seized Interim offices across Tigray, backed by some TDF traditional generals and members. On March 14, briefing diplomats in Addis (EBC YouTube (#ref9)), he detailed the takeovers—offices grabbed, appointees rounded up, protesters shot (one dead, four wounded). Reda’s coup charge fits: it’s an illegal power grab.

TPLF’s Deception Game

Since 1991, the TPLF has bent rules—rigged votes (1990s-2000s), sparked war with the 2020 illegal election. This 2025 lie—fake “councils” and endless terms—is their latest move to grab power from Reda’s federally-backed group. It’s deliberate, not dumb.

Illegal and Dangerous

This violates Ethiopia’s Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention Proclamation No. 1185/2020 (Article 5) (#ref10): false claims (expired terms, fake “councils”), likely known false (they’re TPLF leaders), and disruptive—violence proves it. It misleads Tigrayans into supporting an illegal takeover.

Call to Action: Prosecute Dr. Fiseha and Amanuel

The federal government must charge Dr. Fiseha Haftetsion and Amanuel Assefa under Proclamation No. 1185/2020. Their lies—Dr. Fiseha’s “councils” and Amanuel’s “valid until next election”—meet the law’s test: false, intentional, risky. Penalties: up to 3 years imprisonment or 100,000 birr fine, 5 years if violence escalates. Investigate now—use the transcript, Reporter articles, and constitutions. Ignoring this courts chaos.

Conclusion

Dr. Fiseha and Amanuel’s claims are trash. No “councils” exist, 2015 terms died in 2020, and no law props them up. It’s the TPLF disinformation, risking Tigray’s peace for power. Ethiopia’s laws and facts shred it. The government must act—punish these liars, protect the truth, and secure Ethiopia.

References

1. YouTube (woyen). (2025, March 13). “TPLF’s statement on the current issues of Tigray.” Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tSZjKDSRrA
2. The Reporter. (2025, March 15). “Calls for restraint…” Available at: https://www.ethiopianreporter.com/139304/[Amharic]
3. Tigray National Regional State. (1995). “The Constitution of the Tigray Regional State.” Available at: https://www.lawethiopia.com/images/regional%20constitutions/Ethiopia_Constitution-Tigray_1995.pdf
4. (2020, September 11). “Tigray Election – Beyond Defying the Central Govt.” Available at: https://allafrica.com/stories/202009120161.html
5. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (1995). The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Available at:  https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/Ethiopia_Constitution.pdf
6. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia & Tigray People’s Liberation Front. (2022, November 2). “Agreement for Lasting Peace Through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities.” Available at: https://www.africanewschannel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Ethiopia_peace_agreement_02_11_20221.pdf
7. The Reporter. (2025, March 15). “Calls for restraint sound out as tensions threaten to erupt in Tigray.” Available at: https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/44217/[English]
8. EBC (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation). (2025, March 13). “አቶ ጌታቸው ረዳ የትግራይ ክልል ጊዜያዊ መስተዳድር ፕሬዚዳንት በወቅታዊ ጉዳይ ላይ የሰጡት መግለጫ.” Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9eAFM7ohHc[Amharic]
9. EBC (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation). (2025, March 14). “አቶ ጌታቸው ረዳ በትግራይ ክልል ወቅታዊ ሁኔታ ለዲፕሎማቶች የሰጡት ማብራሪያ | Tigray.” Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP1f9yePGps[English]
10. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (2020). Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation No. 1185/2020. Available at: https://www.lawethiopia.com/images/HATE-SPEECH-AND-DISINFORMATION-PREVENTION-AND-SUPPRESSION-PROCLAMATION.pdf