At a Glance:

Government Portal

Year became a federation: 1995

Current constitution in force since: 1994

Constituent units: 9 member states/regional states, 2 chartered cities

Head of State: Girma Wolde-Giorgis

Head of Government: Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Legislature:
Upper House: Yefedereshn Mekir Bet (English: House of Federation)

Lower House: Yehizbtewekayoch Mekir Bet (English: House of People’s Representatives)

 

Ethiopia

Field offices support Forum programs

Ethiopia

The Forum has an office in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The Forum’s regional office for Africa and project office for Ethiopia are located in the Institute of Federal Studies at the University of Addis Ababa, near the center of town.

 

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Enhancing Federalism Scholarship in Ethiopia Participants that attended the workshop- Adama, Ethiopia. Feb 21-25, 2011
Participants that attended the workshop- Adama, Ethiopia. Feb 21-25, 2011
A five day workshop on enhancing Ethiopian federalism scholarship was held in Adama, Ethiopia, from 21-25 February 2011. Its specific aim was to facilitate better integration of federalism and conflic  More Information

 

EthiopiaOur work in Ethiopia

The Forum has worked with local partners in Ethiopia since 2006 to organize a wide range of learning events. It has also assisted in the creation of a Master of Arts program in federal studies at the University of Addis Ababa. The Government of Ethiopia, with support from the Forum, is holding the Fifth International Conference on Federalism in December 2010.

Federalism in Ethiopia

With more than 80 ethnic communities, ethnicity is the underlying organizing principle of Ethiopia’s federal parliamentary democracy. Article one of the 1996 Ethiopian constitution states that Ethiopia is federal.

The Parliament is made up of the House of Peoples’ Representatives and the House of Federation, whose members are elected either by state councils or popular elections. The highest executive authority in Ethiopia resides in the Prime Minister.

Federal powers deal with issues of national concern, including economic and social development, national standards and policy criteria for health and education, defense, federal police, foreign policy, foreign commerce and immigration

Ethiopia is one of the oldest states in Africa. Haile Selassie became emperor in 1930. Haile Selassie was the emperor from 1930 until 1974, except during a 1936–41 occupation by Italy. Selassie was overthrown in 1974 by the Provisional Military Council, called the Derg, which proclaimed Ethiopia a socialist state. The Derg was in turn overthrown by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in 1991. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has led the country since then.


In 1994, a Constituent Assembly adopted a new draft constitution approved in a referendum and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was proclaimed in 1995.


Forum President talks about Ethiopia.
forumfed

 

Year joined the Forum of Federations: 2006