Ethiopian constitution of 1931 3 may be appointed ocers in the army or civil ocials, or to any other posts or oces in the service of the state. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia ilo. A proposed revision of the 1955 constitution was released in 1974, but it had no legal effect, and was soon forgotten in the events of the ethiopian revolution until the adoption of the first of these constitutions, the concepts of. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia home basic information general information the house of peoples representatives the house of the federation current developments preamble we, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. Beyana represented people who believe that ethiopian history, as they read it, neither includes them nor respects their human dignity. We, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. Reflections and recommendations from the symposium on the making of the new ethiopian constitution, addis ababa, 750. Constitutional history of ethiopia constitutionnet.
Provisions of this constitution set out in the masculine gender shall also apply to the feminine gender. This constitution enshrined the principles of regionalism and ethnic autonomy, devolving power to regional states, several of them coalitions of smaller ethnic groups. A new constitution granting special rights to different ethnic groups in ethiopia was ratified in december, and became effective in august 1995. In ethiopia a new constitution was introduced in 1994 and elections were held in 1995. All ethiopian languages shall enjoy equal state recognition. The eprdf won 484 out of 547 seats in the assembly. The current constitution of ethiopia, which is the supreme law of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, came into force on 21 august 1995.
Article 93 of the ethiopian constitution deals with a declaration of a state of. It was promulgated in an impressive ceremony held 16 july 1931 in the presence of emperor haile selassie, who had long desired to proclaim one for his country. The peoples democratic republic of elhiopia is a soverei, state whose territory comprisin, the land. In 1931 haile selassie promoted a constitution which made ethiopia a constitutional monarchy. More specifically, part ii offers an overview of the principle of. About the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Eightyone percent of the electorate endorsed the constitution, while 18 percent opposed it 1 percent of the ballots were invalid. National anthem of ethiopia the national anthem of ethiopia, to be determined by law, shall reflect the ideals of the constitution, the commitment of the peoples of ethiopia to live together in a democratic order and of their common destiny. Preamble to the ethiopian constitution which states, among other reasons for. The article as it was prepared for a special occasion where. Ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian empire. Nov 23, 2015 on this page you can read or download weakness of ethiopian constitution pdf in pdf format. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia.
However, these pledges were not translated into practice. Ancient and medieval documents of constitutional nature. Ethiopia is a magnificent nation and perhaps the worlds most ancient. Infoplease has everything you need to know about ethiopia. Ethiopia s ancient system of feudal government experienced significant changes under haile selassie i reigned 193074, who carefully grafted onto the traditional governing institutions a weak parliament of appointed and elected legislators, a judiciary with modernized civil and criminal codes and a hierarchy of courts, and an executive. Ethiopia s ton, history of independence has been the history of ih. Production levels in the 1970s were in the range of 150 to 200 thousand tons per year but only about one half was exported. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of. Ethiopia administrative change and the 1955 constitution. The bicameral ethiopian parliament played no part in drawing up the 1955 constitution, which, far from limiting the emperors control, emphasized the religious origins of imperial power and extended the centralization process. A key constitutional provision in this regard is the first paragraph of the.
The constitution was adopted on 8 december 1994 and promulgated by the constitution of the federal democratic. Constitutional development in ethiopia volume 10 issue 2 bereket habte selassie skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Amharic shall be the working language of the federal government. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia wipo. Constitution of the regional state of harari ethiopian. After a brief historical introduction in part i, this chapter proposes to broadly revisit the principles discussed in the reference to assess their role and impact in the ethiopian constitution. All members of the ethiopian army owe absolute loyalty and obedience to the emperor, in conformity with the provisions of the law. The territory of ethiopia, in its entirety, is, from one end to the other, subject to the government of his majesty the emperor. To this end, the main purpose of this paper is to explain the new democratic constitutional process in ethiopia. In may 1991 the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf entered the capital. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive the ethiopians by getachew haile this short article addresses the issue of how ethiopias social and political problems are sometimes. An attempt by the league of nations to halt the conquest failed.
Education system ethiopia 1 9 mb ethiopian school leaving certificate ethiopian higher education entrance. Constitutional development in ethiopia journal of african. Their right is founded solely and exclusively on the sweeping constitutional guarantees they enjoy under articles 29 and of the ethiopian constitution. I21staugust1995page3 ethiopian territorialjurisdiction the territorial. Oxford university press 10 the federal democratic republic of ethiopian constitution, 1994 11 andrei kreptul. Interim constitution ethiopia 19911995 constitutionnet. Pdf this paper tries to explain constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. All the natives of ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian empire. Strongly committed, in full and free exercise of our right to selfdetermination, to building a political community founded on the rule of law and capable of ensuring a lasting peace, guaranteeing a democratic order, and advancing our economic and social development. All the natives of ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian. Micheau introduction emergent and reemergent nationalism seem to have taken center stage in a cast of new worldwide political trends. If thats not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.
Comments this is the official text as published in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, 1st year no. Nov 23, 2015 on this page you can read or download 1931 ethiopian constitution document pdf in pdf format. Although ethiopia remains poor there is every reason to be optimistic about its future. Modern constitutional history ethiopias 1994 constitution is a direct result of the government pursuing a policy of ethnic democracy. Doc amendment of state constitution in ethiopia in. The 1931, 1987 and 1995 constitutions of ethiopia delelegn, wubalem on. Ethiopian grade 8 english textbook for ethiopian ethiopian art ethiopian ethiopian ecommerce pdf ethiopian history pdf ethiopian history ethiopian satellite ethiopian constitution pdf ethiopian airways ethiopian bible ethiopian curreclum ethiopian constitution ethiopian airline ethiopian manuscript ethiopian ict textbook ethiopian news about.
The period 1434 1974 the period before 1434 the era of modern codified laws 19311974 written imperial constitutions the civil code of 1960 and other laws ii. Constitution of teh regional state of oromia revised. Democratic republic of ethiopia, and to uphold the honor and di,nity of ethiopian citiun. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. It was only in 1931 that ethiopia promulgated its first written form of constitution. Ethiopian constitution of 1931 1 chapter i the ethiopian empire and the succession to the throne art. In 1931 he granted ethiopia its first constitution. Ethiopia ethiopia federal democratic republic of ethiopia since 1995. The legislative branch is made up of a bicameral parliament. A study of the secession clause in the constitution. Ethiopia federal democratic republic of ethiopia since. Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in africa and one of the oldest independent countries in the world. Strongly committed, in full and free exercise of our right to selfdetermination, to.
Its history is rich and it has affected the religious, political and. Ethiopias ton, history of independence has been the history. While, because of fallible but capable of learning from experience, human nature. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia home basic information general. To this end, the main purpose of this paper is to explain the new democratic constitutional. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive the ethiopians by getachew haile this short article addresses the issue of how ethiopia s social and political problems are sometimes. This constitution establishes a federal and democratic state structure. In 1994 the eprdf adopted ethiopia s third constitution in 40 years. Ethiopia s 1994 constitution is a direct result of the government pursuing a policy of ethnic democracy. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about ethiopias geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. Ethiopian constitution africa center, university of. History and ideology 57 selfadministration through regional autonomy.
Download pdf interim constitution ethiopia 1991 1995 download pdf transitional period charter of ethiopia 19911995 retrieved from. During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emperor menelik ii created the current ethiopian state through expansion and conquest. The imperial government assures the union of the territory, of the. In the 1930s ethiopia once again confronted an aggressive italy. Ethiopia s present constitution was created and ratified in 1994 by a constituent assembly.
With the rise of the dictator benito mussolini, italian designs toward ethiopia were revived, and in october 1935 italy invaded the country see italy. The peoples democratic republic of ethiopia shall, while ae romplishing the national democratic revolution, lay the foundation for the. Article 2 ethiopian territorial jurisdiction the territorial jurisdiction of ethiopia shall comprise the territory of the members. Ethnicity serves as the foundation for ethiopia s political parties and is what motivates the constitution s twotiered federal system. The ethiopian constitution lays out the legal rights of citizens to hold opinions, thoughts, and free expressions. Ethiopian constitution the following english translation of the ethiopian draft constitution is an unofficial draft that has been released to enable members of the international community follow the discussions and forthcoming elections, pending publication of the official translation. The impact of the inclusion of secession clause in the. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Abstract leaving constitutional space to sub national units so as to frame their own constitutions is an invariable practice across most federations. Law and religion in ethiopia the evolution of a complex. Foreign nationals may acquire ethiopian nationality. But before that the state has a far back constitutional history of unwritten form.
I am looking for the most recent criminal cases in ethiopia. In the early 21st century the economy of ethiopia grew rapidly. The senate remained appointive, but the chamber of deputies was, at least nominally, elected. In june 1994 ethiopian voters elected representatives to a constituent assembly, charged with writing a new democratic constitution.
The precarious future of the ethiopian constitution. Ararssa, special to addis standard in the first part of this series of reflection on ethiopias experiment with federalism, i have discussed the sketchy description of the federation in context and the current ethiopian federal system and its fundamental features. The language of these two articles is simple, plain, straightforward, unambiguous and requires no interpretation. Ethiopian constitution of 1931 ethiopian legal brief. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive the.
Thus, basic features of law, sources of law in general and the sources of ethiopian law are covered. The 1931 constitution of ethiopia was the first modern constitution for ethiopia, intended to officially replace the fetha nagast, which had been the supreme law since the middle ages. Establishment of the secretariat of the house of peoples representatives and of the house of the federation proclamation. Until the adoption of the first of these constitutions, the concepts of ethiopian government had been codified in the kebra nagast which presented the concept. It was the fourth ethiopian constitution promulgated for the last 65. Oct 18, 2010 their right is founded solely and exclusively on the sweeping constitutional guarantees they enjoy under articles 29 and of the ethiopian constitution. In may the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf entered the capital. The historical legacy of inequality and discrimination suffered by women in. Thus, the eprdf that assumed power in may 1991 after its protracted 17 year armed insurgency undertaken the reconstruction of the ethiopian state. The exerci of frodioms and ri,hls and the discharge of duties by citizen. Other articles where history of ethiopia is discussed. The eprdf introduced a temporary constitution called the national charter, created an 87member assembly known as the state council, and proceeded to form a cabinet for the transitional government of ethiopia tge. The constitution establishes ethiopia as a federal republic with a parliamentary form of government.
On this page you can read or download 1931 ethiopian constitution document pdf in pdf format. Arliclt 57 every ethiopian has the duly to obse, the constitution and laws of the people. There is an ominous prospect of dr getachew write yet another piece in amharic on misunderstandings in ethiopian history, and. Constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. Seleshi zeyohannes, constitutional law ii page 2 of 372 acknowledgments my acknowledgment goes to all those who assisted me in preparing this course on law of constitution i and ii, which i believe would be of vital value to ethiopian students and instructors of law. Article 7 gender reference provisions of this constitution set out in the masculine gender shall also apply to the feminine gender. The oromo moved north through the southern highlands, bypasssing the sidama on the west, and into the central highlands, where they settled in the center and west on land, some.
In the late 19th century italy acquired control of the territories of eritrea on the red sea coast and somali on the indian ocean. This paper tries to explain constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. Accordingly, the ethiopian state shall be known as the federal democratic. Although this was the first election in ethiopia s history based on universal suffrage, the presence of communist cadres throughout the country ensured that the constitution would be. Just as ethiopian farming is at the mercy of the rainfall so the ethiopian export economy is at the mercy of the international market price of coffee. This is the official text as published in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, 1st year no. Ethnicity serves as the foundation for ethiopias political parties and is what motivates the constitutions twotiered federal system. Apr 04, 2014 a historian discussing history with nonhistorians might seem strange, but the endresult shows that it was actually not. Accordingly, the ethiopian state shall be known as the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Particulars relating to nationality shall be determined by law.
Any person of either sex shall be an ethiopian national where both or either parent is ethiopian. The constitution was adopted on 8 december 1994 and promulgated by the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia proclamation no. The constitution consists of 106 articles in 11 chapters. Part i of the comment surveys the background of past media rights. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Representatives passed the mass media and freedom of information proclamation press law. Pdf media, participation and constitutionmaking in. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive. The role of communications in facilitating public participation in constitutionmaking is often neglected and misunderstood, particularly in postwar statebuilding when mass media may be weak.
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