Micheau introduction emergent and reemergent nationalism seem to have taken center stage in a cast of new worldwide political trends. 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. Pdf this paper tries to explain constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. The constitution was adopted on 8 december 1994 and promulgated by the constitution of the federal democratic. The ethiopian constitution lays out the legal rights of citizens to hold opinions, thoughts, and free expressions. Nationalism has appeared in many forms across asia, africa, europe, and north america. Strongly committed, in full and free exercise of our right to selfdetermination, to. Issues of minority rights in the ethiopian federation by taking the objective, subjective and the combination of both criteria of defining minorities, ethiopia is a land of minorities. Haile sellassie i emperor tsahafe tezaz tafarra worq minister of the pen chapter i. To this end, the study made comparison as to the place of those elements in the four constitutions, thereby implying the changes and continuities. This is the standard english translation found in sourcebook of ethiopian constitutional law p. Ethiopias revised constitution introduction the revised ethiopian constitution promulgated by emperor haile selassie on november 4, 1955, marks a further advance of the ethiopian government toward the center stage of the modern world. 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.
How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive. Constitution applies equally for male and female nationals. The strathink editorial team presents here part 1 of its series this week on the 1994 ethiopian 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. 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 state of the tigray people constitution amendment 1998 tigrigna and amharic version the 1995 ethiopian constitution explanatory note amharic version the 1995 fdre constitution minutes part one. Whatever his intentions as a reformer, haile selassie. This constitution was prompted, like its 1931 predecessor. Article is false however, provisions in the constitution that guaranteed personal freedoms and liberties, including freedom of assembly, movement, and speech, and the due process of law, were so far removed from the realities of ethiopian life that no group or individual sought to act upon them publicly.
The current constitution of ethiopia, which is the supreme law of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, came into force on 21 august 1995. The freedom to public manifestation of faith nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion. During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emperor menelik ii created the current ethiopian stat. We, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. The place of customary and religious laws and practices in. This constitution is an expression of their sovereignty. Amharic shall be the working language of the federal government. Particulars relating to nationality shall be determined by law. 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. C it is the emperors right to administer all of the inalienable properties of. Issues of minority rights in the ethiopian federation. The structure of the ethiopian government and the new constitutions ability to overcome ethiopias problems t. Ethiopian territorial jurisdiction the territorial jurisdiction of ethiopia shall comprise the territory of the members of. Negaso gidada studied history at the haile sellasie 1st university now the addis abeba university from 1966 to 1971.
The peoples democratic republic of elhiopia is a soverei, state whose territory comprisin, the land. Ethiopia ethiopia federal democratic republic of ethiopia since 1995. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia wipo. The senate remained appointive, but the chamber of deputies was, at least nominally, elected. Accordingly, the ethiopian state shall be known as the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. The empire of ethiopia comprises all the territories, including the islands and the territorial waters, under the sovereignty of the ethiopian crown. The ethiopian flag shall consist of green at the top, yellow in. The federal democratic republic of ethiopian constitution is among very few constitutions in the world that included secession right in their constitution. Ethiopian constitution of 1931 3 may be appointed o cers in the army or civil o cials, or to any other posts or o ces in the service of the state.
Ethiopia federal democratic republic of ethiopia since. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Revised constitution of ethiopia as promulgated by his imperial majesty his majesty hail e sellassi e i on twentyfourth tekemt one thousand nine hindred and forty eight 4th november, 1955 on the occasion of the twentyfifth anniversary of his coronation negarit gazeta 15th year no. Abstract leaving constitutional space to sub national units so as to frame their own constitutions is an invariable practice across most federations. Consolidated version of the election laws of fdr ethiopia1. Constitutional history ethiopia is the oldest independent country in africa and one of the oldest independent countries in the world. Constitutional development in ethiopia journal of african. The precarious future of the ethiopian constitution. In 1994 the eprdf adopted ethiopias third constitution in 40 years. All members of the ethiopian army owe absolute loyalty and obedience to the emperor, in conformity with the provisions of the law. Aug 04, 2015 the objective of this paper is to examine the place of customary and religious laws and practices in the ethiopian constitutions.
The impact of the inclusion of secession clause in the. Its history, implications and limitations in africa in. Haile selassie introduced constitution on this day in 1931. About the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Ethiopian constitution of 1955 6 b from the date of the proclamation of the present constitution, all realty registered in the name of the crown bete mengist are held in trust for the crown under the guardianship of the emperor and are inalienable. 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. Nationalism, selfdetermination, article 39, the eyes of. Even foreign nationals can apply to get ethiopian nationality through specified legal procedure. 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. Comments this is the official text as published in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, 1st year no.
Download weakness of ethiopian constitution pdf document. While, because of fallible but capable of learning from experience, human nature. Chapter three of this revised constitution from article 3765 deals with right and duties of the people. Doc amendment of state constitution in ethiopia in. Definitions unless the context otherwise requires, in this proclamation. Article 7 gender reference provisions of this constitution set out in the masculine gender shall also apply to the feminine gender.
Ethiopian constitution africa center, university of. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. Law and religion in ethiopia the evolution of a complex. This paper tries to explain constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. Moreover, some provincial nobility opposed the emperor because of their own longheld claims to the throne. As pointed out in the emperors speech from the throne, the new charter has been intro. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia home basic information general. Constitution of ethiopia wikisource, the free online library. In todays atmosphere of change, strathink would like to remind its readers that ethiopia is a nation governed by the rule of lawits legal framework spelled out in the 1994 constitution. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Introduction ethiopia is one of the religiously diverse countries in the world that hosts all major world. Strongly committed, in full and free exercise of our right to selfdetermination, to building a.
Any ethiopian whose electoral rights are not legally restricted shall be eligible to elect or to be elected. Their sovereignty shall be expressed through their representatives elected in accordance with this constitution and through their direct democratic participation article 9 supremacy of the constitution. The peoples democratic republic of ethiopia shall, while ae romplishing the national democratic revolution, lay the foundation for the. And by that, it has become one of the contentious article. Constitutional history of ethiopia constitutionnet. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of. With the collapse of the derg regime in 1991, the charter of the transitional government of ethiopia tge incorporated. 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. Constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy. Fdre constitution in recent history, the ethiopian people have lived under a feudal regime followed by a military dictatorship both of which disregarded the rights and freedoms of its citizens. On this page you can read or download weakness of ethiopian constitution pdf in pdf format. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The revised constitution of ethiopia, november, 1955.
Incorporation of human rights into legal frameworks of the. The difference between 1931 and 1955 ethiopian constitution pdf, repondre en citant. What is the difference between the 1931 and 1955 ethiopian constitution. The 1955 revised constitution having the reason stated above the 1931 constitution was revised in 1955. What is the difference beteween 1931 and 1955 constitution. Emperor haile selassie proclaimed a revised constitution in november 1955 of the empire of ethiopia.
This revision of the 1931 constitution implied a change in the organisation of the system of governance, limiting the power of the emperor to a certain extent and a relatively better recognition of rights and freedoms. He left for germany in october 1974 and lived there until july 1991. Foreign nationals may acquire ethiopian nationality. This article vehemently claims that carefully designed secession right in constitution can help to effectively prevent secession and disintegration of a multinational state. Accordingly, the ethiopian state shall be called the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. They also claim the constitution enjoys little support from the ethiopian people and maintain that a constitution, while above all other laws, is beneath the people who made it. Such opinion was particularly important at a time when some neighboring african states were rapidly advancing under european colonial tutelage. Ethiopian orthodox church was the established church of the empire and was, as such, supported by the state. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia preamble we the nations, nationalities and people of ethiopia. The constitution consists of 106 articles in 11 chapters. The revised constitution of the afar national regional state. 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.
This constitution enshrined the principles of regionalism and ethnic autonomy, devolving power to regional states, several of them coalitions of smaller ethnic groups. What is the difference between 1931 and 1955 constitution. The 22nd amendment was added after fdr died to allow only 2 terms of 4. All ethiopian languages shall enjoy equal state recognition. From 71 to 74 he served as school director and history teacher in aira, in western wallaga. Ethiopia administrative change and the 1955 constitution. The language of these two articles is simple, plain, straightforward, unambiguous and requires no interpretation.
Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia no. During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emperor menelik ii created the current ethiopian state through expansion and conquest. Ethiopias 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. Menilek i, the son of makeda, queen of ethiopia, and. This constitution establishes a federal and democratic state structure. Accordingly, the constitution contained 27 articles about human rights which were adopted from the developed. The 1995 ethiopian constitution english and amharic version. Ethiopian constitution of 1931 ethiopian legal brief. They argue that it is thus appropriate to rescind the ethiopian constitution altogether, even extraconstitutionally, and replace it with a new one. Article 29 reproduced also in the official amharic text below2 states. Their right is founded solely and exclusively on the sweeping constitutional guarantees they enjoy under articles 29 and of the ethiopian constitution. Berhanena selam printing press of his imperial majesty haile selassie i, 1955. The 1931, 1987 and 1995 constitutions of ethiopia delelegn, wubalem on.
Artical 31 a the emperor alone confers and withdraws the title of prince and other honours, and institutes new orders. This constitution was prompted, like its 1931 predecessor, by a concern with international opinion. To this end, the main purpose of this paper is to explain the new democratic constitutional. Early on in hailie selassies pictured seated time as ruler of ethiopia, he introduced the countrys first constitution, which allowed for a bicameral, or twohouse, ruling body on this day. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia preamble we, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. The present revised constitution, together with those international treaties.