Policy of Ethiopia

The Ethiopia is a federal République with parliamentary mode where the Prime Minister exerts the function of chief of the government. The executive power is with the hands of the government while the legislative power is shared between the government and the two rooms of the Parliament. The judicial power is more or less independent of the executive and the legislature.

Political developments

In May 1991, a coalition of rebellious forces, under the name of revolutionary democratic Face of the Ethiopian people (FDRPE), shift the government of Mengistu Haile. In July, the FDRPE, the Face of release oromo (FLO) and their allies established a transitory government made up of the Council of 87 members and guided by a national charter which acted as transitory constitution. In June 1992, the FLO withdrew government, follow-up in March of the following year by the members of the democratic Coalition of the people of south-Ethiopic (SEPDC).

The Liberation popular front of Érythrée (FPLE), combined coalition against the mode of Mentistu, gained the control of the Érythrée and establishes a provisional government there. Éryhtrée obtained independence the May 24th 1993.

The Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as well as the members of the transitory government committed himself supervising the installation of a democracy multi-partite. The elections of the 547 members of the constituent Assembly took place in June 1994. The elections of the first national parliament indicated by the people had in May place and June of the following year. The majority of the opposition parties decided to boycott the elections which showed a victory of the FDRPE. The international observers and nongovernmental concluded that the opposition parties could have taken share with the elections regularly if they had decided it.

The government of the federal republic of Ethiopia was instituted in August 1995, with Negasso Gidada like first president. The government of the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi encouraged an ethnic policy of federalism, allocate broad responsibilities to the regional authorities based on the ethnos group. Today, Ethiopia counts 9 semi-autonomous administrative areas which are qualified to take taxes. The Ethiopian ones currently enjoy the greatest political freedom of their history but fundamental freedoms, whose freedom of the press, are not guaranteed yet.

The government of Zenawi was re-elected in 2000 at the time of the first elections multi-partites. The President-in-Office is Girma Wolde-Giyorgis. He was re-elected on October 9th, 2007.

Ethiopia established courteous relations with the the United States and the States of Western Europe and perceives development assistances on behalf of the Western States and of the the World Bank. In 2004, the government started a migration of more than two million anybody since the desert high plateaus of the east of the country, thus hoping to reduce the risk of Famine.

The general elections of 2005 transfer a participation of more than 90%. The observers resulting from the European Union expressed doubts as for the respect of the international standards while the African Union, the Center Casing and the State Department of the USA declared that the rules of the democracy had been complied with. The opposition showed the FDRPE to resort to the intimidation and the faking of the votes and suspecta of the frauds in 299 districts. The national Electoral calendar of Ethiopia examined the complaints, which delayed the publication of the results. In June 2005, the results not being still known with certainty, a group of university students organized demonstrations, encouraged by the Coalition for the unit and the democracy (opposition), in spite of a prohibition to express issued by the government. The June 8th, 26 people were killed and several hundreds were imprisoned with Addis-Abeba following the riots. The Electoral calendar published the final results of the elections the September 5th, which confirmed the victory of the majority party but allotted more seats of the Parliament to the opposition parties, which passed from 12 to 176. The Coalition for the unit and the democracy gained the totality of the seats with Addis-Abeba, the Parliament and the municipal council. New riots burst when the opposition called with a general strike and a boycott of the new Parliament. Forty-two people were killed in Addis-Abeba, including seven police officers. Thousands of people were arrested and imprisoned in various detention centres of the country. In February 2006, six hundreds of them were always in detention and awaited their lawsuit.

The November 14th 2005, the Parliament adopted a resolution aiming to the installation of a neutral commission whose task would be to make the light on the events of June 8th and the November 1st, th and 2nd. In February 2006, the Prime Minister for the the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, recognizing the victory of the FDRPE, emitted the wish to see Ethiopia solving its internal problems and taking the way of the democracy.

Executive power

The President is elected by the representatives of the people for a six years mandate. The Prime Minister is named by the party in power then legislative elections. The Council of Ministers envisaged by the constitution of December 1994 is named by the Prime Minister and approval by the Parliament.

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