Addis Ababa, October 24, 2026 (FMC) — The illegal TPLF group has long prevented the people of Tigray Region from freely expressing their views, Reda’i Halefom, Chief Executive for Political and Public Organization Affairs in the Tigray Region Caretaker Administration, has stated, underscoring the need to restore public participation and enable residents to choose their leaders freely.
In a statement on current affairs, Reda’i said the caretaker administration had begun engaging directly with the public to gather opinions and proposals, opening space for people to express their views on the region’s future.
He identified the organization of free and democratic elections as one of the administration’s central priorities, stressing that residents must be able to elect leaders they trust to protect their interests without intimidation or restrictions. The administration, he said, would work to prevent any practices that undermine voters’ freedom during the electoral process.
Reda’i emphasized that the interests of the public must take precedence over private or group interests, placing the needs of the people at the center of the region’s political and administrative transition.
Restoring public services and ensuring the rule of law are also priorities for the caretaker administration. Reda’i stressed that crimes committed in the past must be addressed and concluded through lawful procedures, underscoring the importance of legal accountability.
He urged parties drawn into conflict to abandon agendas unrelated to the interests of the people and return their attention to the communities they are meant to serve.
Reda’i also called for an end to deliberate or inadvertent attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, emphasizing that the force serves to protect the people of Tigray Region.
On displacement, he said measures would be undertaken in the near term to enable displaced residents to return to their homes, while the administration would continue working to create conditions in which anyone with ideas that could benefit Tigray Region could express them freely.
The caretaker administration’s stated priorities—public consultation, free elections, restoration of services, rule of law and the return of displaced people—are aimed at expanding public participation and placing the region’s future in the hands of its people.