Country Information - Politics

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COUNTRY INFORMATION

NAME OF COUNTRY

GEOGRAPHY

CLIMATE

HISTORY

PEOPLE

ECONOMY

POLITICS

CAPITAL CITY

ETHIOPIAN FLAG

CALENDAR & TIME

Government Type

The Ethiopian government is best described as a federal republic. Its recent constitution was promulgated in December 1994.

Member States and Administrative Cities

Nine member states and two administrative cities make up the federal government of Ethiopia. The states, in alphabetical order, are: Afar National Regional State, Amhara National Regional State, Benishangul/Gumuz National Regional State, Gambella National Regional State, Harari National Regional State, Oromiya National Regional State, Somali National Regional State, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State, and Tigray National Regional State.

The two administrative cities are Addis Ababa Administrative Council and Dire Dawa Administrative Council. Addis Ababa also serves as the national capital of the country. To learn more about Addis Ababa, click here.

Head of State

President Negasso Gidada has been the head of state since August 1995. Next election is expected to be held in 2001.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been the head of government since August 1995. He was the president of the provisional government from 1991 to 1995. Next election is expected to be held in 2001.

Legislative Branch

This branch of government, known as the Federal Parliamentary Assembly, consists of the House of Federation with 108 seats and the House of People’s Representatives with 548 seats. The Federal Parliamentary Assembly assumed legislative power in August 1995.

Judicial Branch

Judicial powers, both at the federal and state level, are vested in the courts. Judges are elected by the national legislature.

Political Parties

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of three political parties, won nearly all seats in the Federal Parliamentary Assembly. It is, by far, the dominant political party in Ethiopia. Opposition political parties include the now disbanded Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), the All Amhara People’s Organization (AAPO), and other numerous small, ethnic - and sect - based groups.

To gather more details about any of the items discussed on this page, or generally to learn more about politics in Ethiopia, click here.