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. 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 1931 constitution of ethiopia was the first modern constitution for ethiopia, intended to. We, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. Their right is founded solely and exclusively on the sweeping constitutional guarantees they enjoy under articles 29 and of the ethiopian constitution. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia home basic information general. The 1931 constitution1 does not have significant relevance for the human rights discourse as it was primarily designed to reaffirm. Ethiopian constitutions and their explanatory note. C it is the emperors right to administer all of the inalienable properties of. This constitution had seven chapters and 55 articles. Speech of his majesty the emperor, decree, constitution.
Ethiopian constitution of 1931 2 order and avert public dangers. It delegates greater prerogatives to the ethiopian people through their representatives. The territory of ethiopia, in its entirety, is, from one. Strongly committed, in full and free exercise of our right to selfdetermination, to. The objective of this paper is to examine the place of customary and religious laws and practices in the ethiopian constitutions. The purpose of 1931 constitution remained unserved due to italian invasion.
Constitution applies equally for male and female nationals. Selassie in may 1991, the much hated and brutal militarymarxist dictatorship that traumatized ethiopians for seventeen years was finally overthrown. Nationalism, selfdetermination, article 39, the eyes of. All the natives of ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian empire. A person of either sex born to both or one ethiopian parent is of ethiopian nationality. The constitution of the empire of ethiopia, 1931 in. It is worthy of note that this was the first instance in history where an absolute ruler had sought voluntarily to share sovereign authority with the subjects of his realm. Found that the ethiopian constitution entertains minority rights albeit implicitly and that there are. Amharic shall be the working language of the federal government. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. Under the constitution, the federal arrangement guaranteed the rights of the federal states to determine their own affairs. 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. This constitution establishes a federal and democratic state structure.
Ethiopian constitution of 1931 1 chapter i the ethiopian empire and the succession to the throne art. Constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy. Problems and prospects for democracy by alemante g. 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. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive the. The ethiopian constitution provides for a federal system of government. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia wipo. The 1995 ethiopian constitution explanatory note amharic version. Accordingly, the ethiopian state shall be called the federal democratic republic 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. The peoples democratic republic of elhiopia is a soverei, state whose territory comprisin, the land.
Foreign nationals may acquire ethiopian nationality. With respect to the 26 elasticity of the ethiopian constitution, attention is directed to a very significant sentence in the decree pro claiming the constitution. The constitution consists of 106 articles in 11 chapters. Micheau introduction emergent and reemergent nationalism seem to have taken center stage in a cast of new worldwide political trends. It was only in 1931 that ethiopia promulgated its first written form of constitution. 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. July 15, 1931, he voluntarily put into effect throughout the empire. Ethiopian constitution of 1931 ethiopian legal brief. Haile selassie introduced constitution on this day in 1931. 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.
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. The peoples democratic republic of ethiopia shall, while ae romplishing the national democratic revolution, lay the foundation for the. The law determines that these decrees shall in due course be presented to the chambers at their first subsequent meeting, and that they shall be abrogated for the future if the chambers do not approve of them. Ethiopian constitution africa center, university of. 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. Whereas the overthrow of the military dictatorship that has ruled ethiopia for seventeen years presents a historical moment, providing the peoples of ethiopia with the. Google will help find the constitution on the internet if one searches for it under the ethiopian constitution of 1931 and reads the quotation himherself. About the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia.
When the constitution of other few countries is considered, however, more often than not twothird majority vote of the people is a. The contract, in essence, was an attempt to define areas of mutual interest. 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. At last italians defeated ethiopian army at the end of 1936 and claimed all ethiopia under their control. On the constitutions page, why did you forget the constitution of the peoples democratic republic of ethiopian of around 1987 not sure of the date, but i mean mengistu hailemariams constitution. 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. All members of the ethiopian army owe absolute loyalty and obedience to the emperor, in conformity with the provisions of the law. Constitutional history ethiopia is the oldest independent country in africa and one of the oldest independent countries in the world.
To this end, the main purpose of this paper is to explain the new democratic constitutional process in ethiopia. All the natives of ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian. What is the difference beteween 1931 and 1955 constitution of ethiopia. Here you can read the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. With the collapse of the derg regime in 1991, the charter of the transitional government of ethiopia tge incorporated.
And by that, it has become one of the contentious article. 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. Muthbhed a planned encounter 4 full movie dubbed in hindi free download torrent. Education system ethiopia 1 9 mb ethiopian school leaving certificate ethiopian higher education entrance. The place of customary and religious laws and practices in. The 1931 constitution of ethiopia served as the nations first modern document of its sort, which was crafted to replace the ancient christian. Law and religion in ethiopia the evolution of a complex. The structure of the ethiopian government and the new constitutions ability to overcome ethiopias problems t. The territory of ethiopia, in its entirety, is, from one end to the other, subject to the government of his majesty the emperor. Introduction, speech of his majesty the emperor, decree, constitution. 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. 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. 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. Article 7 gender reference provisions of this constitution set out in the masculine gender shall also apply to the feminine gender.
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 building a political community founded on the rule of law and capable of ensuring. The 1931 constitution, which was ethiopia s first written constitution in its three thousand year history, had been introduced by haile selassie as a contract between himself and the ethiopian people. The pre 1931 and the 1931 ethiopian constitution 53 in spite of its long history of state survival ethiopia has a very little experience with a written constitution. This article vehemently claims that carefully designed secession right in constitution can help to effectively prevent secession and disintegration of a multinational state. The ethiopian empire and the succession to the throne.
The federal government operates at the national level with executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Article 29 reproduced also in the official amharic text below2 states. Ethiopian constitution the africa center university of pennsylvania. This constitution is an expression of their sovereignty. 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. The language of these two articles is simple, plain, straightforward, unambiguous and requires no interpretation. The ethiopian prospect red sea press at 21 see generally chapter 2. Constitution of the united states we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to. Unlike other few similar constitutions, in the ethiopian constitution secession requires only simple majority vote of the people. Constitutional development in ethiopia journal of african. Ethiopias revised constitution differs in several respects from its predecessor. For centuries, customary and religious laws served as the constitution of the ancient monarchy. Legislative the legislative branch makes laws which apply nationwide.
During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emperor menelik ii created the current ethiopian state through expansion and conquest. The period 1434 1974 the period before 1434 the era of modern codified laws 1931 1974 written imperial constitutions the civil code of 1960 and other laws ii. The revised constitution of the afar national regional state. Its history, implications and limitations in africa in. The federal democratic republic of ethiopian constitution is among very few constitutions in the world that included secession right in their constitution. Particulars relating to nationality shall be determined by law. On this page you can read or download 1931 ethiopian constitution pdf in pdf format. How history and the 1931 ethiopian constitution perceive. Ethiopian constitution 1931 pdf ethiopia constitution scribd. The federal democratic republic of ethiopia with a. It is our hope that such elaboration shall be carried out in the future as ci rcumstances require, and in the afor e mentioned ob jeetives. Posts about 1931 constitution written by abrham yohannes. Ethiopia educate nxt pdf formally established a parliamentary system in the 1931 constitution.
Jan 07, 2011 prior to the promulgation of the 1931 constitution, ethiopia had no tradition of having a written constitution to regulate such issues like mechanisms of constitutional control and checks and balances. Constitutional history of ethiopia constitutionnet. Some of the comments i read about it show how much it has been misunderstood. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in. The imperial dignity shall remain perpetually attached to the line of haile selassie i, descendant of king sahle selassie, whose line descends without interruption. The constitution officially took effect on february 22, 1987, when the peoples democratic republic of ethiopia was proclaimed, although it was not until september that the new government was fully in place and the pmac formally abolished. The major military, if not the political, forces responsible for the demise of the dictatorship known as the. All ethiopian languages shall enjoy equal state recognition. On this page you can read or download constitution 1931 ethiopian pdf in pdf format. Apr 04, 2014 all the natives of ethiopia, subjects of the empire, form together the ethiopian empire. Ethiopian constitution 1931 pdf free download as pdf file.
Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia preamble we, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopia. The current constitution of ethiopia, which is the supreme law of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, came into force on 21 august 1995. 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. Pdf constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of. As a result, the study shows that the 1995 fdre constitution better. To this end, the main purpose of this paper is to explain the new democratic constitutional. 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. Even foreign nationals can apply to get ethiopian nationality through specified legal procedure. The 1931, 1987 and 1995 constitutions of ethiopia delelegn, wubalem on. The constitution of the united states preamble we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do. What is the difference beteween 1931 and 1955 constitution.
This paper tries to explain constitution, constitutionalism and foundation of democracy in ethiopia. To this end, the study made comparison as to the place of those. The constitution was adopted on 8 december 1994 and promulgated by the constitution of the federal democratic. Which has served as the primary basis for the government of the empire, since 1931. The first ethiopian constitution that was promulgated by emperor haileselassie was in hamle 9th 1923 e. During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emperor menelik ii created the current ethiopian stat. This constitution guaranteed the emperor absolute power and authority in any matters regarding the land and the people. Ethiopian constitution 1931 pdf ethiopia constitution. 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.
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. On this page you can read or download 1931 ethiopian constitution document pdf in pdf format. The imperial constitutions of the empire of ethiopia. The first formal document was the 1931 constitution, which was modeled after the japanese meiji constitution.
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