NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s upper house of parliament has voted to set up a transitional administration in the country’s Tigray region, where fighting erupted this week between regional forces and those of the federal government.

The House of Federation’s move on Saturday paves the way for the removal of the northern Tigray region’s leadership that Ethiopia’s federal government considers illegal. The decision needs no further approval, and it gives Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the power to coordinate and carry out the measures.

Ethiopia’s federal government says “the transitional administration will appoint officials, ensure the respect for rule of law, approve the region’s budget and facilitate the process of conducting elections.”