"Dr Mulu Nega has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Tigray Regional State. The Chief Executive will recruit and appoint heads to lead executive organs of the regional state from political parties legally operating in the region," the prime minister said on Twitter.
Last week, Ethiopia's central government accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party in the northern Tigray region, of attacking a local military base, a charge that the party denies.
The TPLF has been in opposition to the incumbent government. In September, it asked the cabinet to hold local elections, which were earlier postponed over COVID-19. After the rejection, the party organized elections on its own, which the central government never recognized as legitimate.