UTDS -- A TIGREAN OPPOSITION EMERGES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000086 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS ET SUBJECT: UTDS -- A TIGREAN OPPOSITION EMERGES SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Sixteen years after coming to power as part of the Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF),six years after being ejected from the party, and two years after seeking formal registration, the Union of Tigreans for Democracy and Sovereignty (UTDS) emerged in November as Ethiopia's first recognized Tigrean opposition party. While the party has only limited formal support, mostly among Tigrean youth, and does not intend to participate in the coming local elections in April, the emergence of an opposition from the ruling TPLF's core base and composed of former TPLF Central Committee members poses a credible challenge that could potentially threaten the governing regime. Although UTDS leaders talk a good game about representational democracy and strong national institutions, their ability to gain broader, and overt, support from within Tigray and from other regions will be the best indicator of their appeal as Ethiopia moves toward national elections in 2010. UTDS Chairman -- and former regional president of Tigray -- Ato Gebru Asrat and UTDS Executive Committee member -- and former Ethiopian Ambassador to Eritrea -- Ato Awalom Weldu introduced their new party to Ambassador and PolOffs on December 28. End Summary. UTDS'S STRUCTURE, PLATFORM, AND SUPPORT -------------- ¶2. (U) Ato Gebru and Ato Awalom claim that they initially split from the TPLF during the Ethiopia-Eritrea war because of their different perspectives toward Eritrea, including their perception that the Ethiopian Government (GoE) made mistakes which led to the war and its poor planning and implementation of the war. Still, they argue that their differences today reach far beyond those lines. Democracy, the UTDS argues, is "not on the right track" in Ethiopia today; civil society and the media remain severely impeded while institutions of governance, including the judiciary and National Elections Board (NEB),are not independent from the government or party. They noted the lack of any differentiation between the state, government, and ruling party in Ethiopia under the EPRDF's reign. The UTDS officers complained that the EPRDF maintained a heavy hand in all sectors of society and the economy throughout Ethiopia and particularly objected to the "endowment" funds, or party-statals, contributing benefits only to the EPRDF and not to the public. The plank that most set the UTDS's platform apart from those of other opposition groups in Ethiopia, however, was their position that Ethiopia should regain sovereign territorial access to the sea. UTDS claims that gaining seats in Parliament is not its objective in the immediate term, but rather that it aims to increase public awareness of an alternative view to TPLF/EPRDF rule. ¶3. (SBU) The UTDS officers do not claim widespread public support. Upon registering, UTDS was only able to present 1,200 signatures of supporters, who were mostly youth and only few of whom were former TPLF members. Still, its officials are emphatic that Tigray is ready for an opposition party, particularly in urban areas. Organizationally, UTDS has a Central Committee composed of 13 individuals, but only three of these are former TPLF officials. The officials argued that the focus on "new blood" will help counter other opposition groups' concerns about the UTDS as solely a disgruntled cadre of unreformed former TPLF officials who would govern how the TPLF has. While the officials acknowledged still being acquaintances with some military and TPLF officials, they do not claim their support. They do, however, claim that they have been approached by some Tigrean civil servants expressing support, but asking to be "clandestine" members of UTDS for fear of losing their jobs if they are officially associated with UTDS. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The officials reported that while they recognize the value of establishing an opposition party with country-wide support, their attempted outreach to other ethnic groups and parties before the 2005 elections failed as partners became either incarcerated or focused on their own survival. Ultimately, the UTDS chose to register solely as a Tigrean party to focus on its core constituency while prospects for ADDIS ABAB 00000086 002 OF 002 broader partnership looked poor. Despite UTDS efforts to register, it consistently encountered bureaucratic impediments from the NEB. While the UTDS sought, in its view, to present key elements of its platform in its official registration documents, the NEB refused to consider the application that presented what it saw as criticism of the government (GoE). According to the UTDS, NEB objections to the inclusion of platform elements that called for reforming GoE deficiencies -- such as the lack of voting independence of EPRDF MPs, the lack of NEB independence, the absence of recognized rights of nations and nationalities in practice, and objections to the distribution of government resources to the regions by the House of Federation -- allowed the NEB to prolong delays in UTDS' registration. ¶5. (SBU) Due to its late registration, UTDS has decided to refrain from participating in the coming April local elections. Instead, its officials argue that the party will focus initially on its internal organization form its sole office in Mekele with an eye toward holding a General Assembly to strategize on its future. The officials argue that they will not repeat the error of the TPLF in seeking to create for themselves partner parties allied with other ethnic groups that are not genuinely representative of the will of the people they claim to represent. Instead, the UTDS will focus on outreach to existent opposition parties from other regions. The officials acknowledge that they will likely face significant scrutiny from other opposition parties who perceive them as just an off-shoot of unreformed TPLF members, but argue that the strong role of "new blood" in the party combined with sincere outreach will overcome this challenge. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (SBU) While the UTDS -- as evidenced by its two soft-spoken, middle aged, former party leaders -- does not present itself as a robust or dynamic party of new ideas, its leadership team of ex-TPLF Central Committee members and freedom fighters certainly poses a strong threat to the ruling TPLF-based coalition and represents a potentially attractive alternative option to Tigreans who have grown disenchanted with TPLF. Its leaders were striking in their humility and sober assessments of their own levels of support and acknowledgment of other opposition parties' likely skepticism on partnership possibilities. UTDS's desire for sovereign territorial access to the sea, further poses a potential hurdle which potential partner opposition parties (who seek international community support) are unlikely to embrace. Ultimately, in light of UTDS's audacity in establishing a Tigrean opposition and avoidance of the coming local elections in favor of coalescing into a vocal alternate voice, the GoE's reaction toward UTDS will ultimately prove yet another strong indicator of the government's willingness to tolerate a vocal opposition. YAMAMOTO