Ethiopia election 2026: Tigray excluded and on edge

There is not a single delegate in Ethiopia's outgoing lower house of parliament, known as the House of Peoples' Representatives, nor in the upper house — the House of Federation — currently representing the embattled Tigray region.

Missing out on another election in 2026 will bring Tigray's total absence from the political arena in Addis Ababa to a full decade. Many wonder where this leaves the region, as tensions appear to flare up again.

"Can we still say with certainty that 'Tigray is part of Ethiopia ?' I am not sure," says Alemayehu Fentaw, a fellow at the Center for Constitutional Democracy at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Others seem to share a similarly despondent view of the situation — or worse.

Ethiopia's federal government is legally mandated to ensure and facilitate the representation of Tigray in its federal institutions, including the two chambers, as per the agreement signed following AU-led mediation in Pretoria in 2022.

However, that agreement has repeatedly failed to live up to expectations, other than largely succeeding in silencing active fighting in the region ; above all, it has not helped bring democracy back to Tigray.

Many still view the central government with suspicion and resentment.

"More than 40% of the sovereign territory of Tigray is under enemy control," says Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesman Michaele Asgedom, highlighting that the region is unable "to conduct an election" after years of conflict.