Ethiopia's parliament lifts state of emergency early

FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) party Debretsion Gebremichael are pictured on the Maleda Local News papers, showing the conflict marking one year, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri//File Photo

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's parliament on Tuesday voted for an early end to a six-month state of emergency declared in November when rebellious Tigrayan forces had threatened to march on the capital.

Parliament's decision came after the cabinet last month proposed cutting short the state of emergency in light of improving security conditions in the country.

After swift advances in November, most of the rebellious forces have since retreated back to their region, Tigray, and there are signs of a tentative thaw in relations between the warring sides.

Tuesday's vote was not a rubber stamp approval. Of the 312 lawmakers who attended the session, 63 opposed lifting the state of emergency, while 21 abstained from the vote.

It was not immediately clear whether the state of emergency would be lifted on Tuesday directly following parliament's vote.

(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frank Jack Daniel)