“Emerging” Challenges Restraing Addis Ababa’ Sself- Governce Within Ethiopian Ethno- Federal Dispensation
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Date
2022-10
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Addis Ababa Unversity
Abstract
The essence of federalism is not to be found in a particular set of institutions but in the
institutionalization of particular relationship consistent with federal principles. So, Federal
system has to address the question as to what are the particular problems that the federal system
intended to solve up to its essence. As federal principles also apply for Federal Capital
city(FCC) as a subunit, it requires special scrutiny because of FCC’s unique nature.ForFCC is
the political-economic center, it comes at the heart of the federal balance. To this effect, the
fundamental challenges unique to most government of FCC consist of lack of efficient
government for the metropolitan area, including both the city's center and its suburbs. Hence,
mostly federation faces a challenging task in preventing the domination of FCC by one of the
states, in determining how to govern FCC and managing conflicting interests of federal
government and residents of the FCC. As Such a federation needs to address federal-capital suburbs tension; first, how much power and autonomy should the FCC need to have? Second,
how should conflict of interest among local/FCC, national interests, and suburbs is
compromised?
The problem even excerpted in the case of Addis Ababa City (AAC), mainly because AAC’s FCC
mode, extent of decentralization,territorial jurisdiction, and ultimately self-governing status
within Ethiopian ethno-federal dispensation remains indeterminate.Yet, AAC is the federal
capital, seat of Oromia Regional state (ORS) and headquarter for African Union (AU) as well as
considered to be autonomous city administration;as suchit creates distinctive complex
citycapturing special scrutiny due tomultiplicity of competing interest within the unique ethno federal genesis of Ethiopian federation. Hence, AAC represents an epic in the political dilemma
of Ethiopia; group vs. individual, self-rule vs. shared rule, residency vs. ethnic identity, capital
vs. seat, territory vs. location, devolution vs. delegation vs. DE concentration, center vs.
periphery special interest vs. equal interest. Thus it requires scrutinizing as to which federal
notion accounts for the original rationale in Ethiopian federal scheme resulted in “emerging”
challenges constraining AAC’s self-governance status.The issue deepens to the heart of politics
to the extent inquiring the “denominator” (who is “self” or “the people”) and scope of self governance right within Ethiopian ethno-federal dispensation in general and AAC in particular.
It entailsanalyzing whether and how AAC shouldwalk through the path of article 8, 39, and 47
and/or 49 of the constitution or resort to determination beyond constitutional ambit, to realize its
self-governance.
Basic Terms: emerging challenges,federation origin, extent of decentralization, FCC
models, Ethno-Federation, and self-governance/determination, fiscal federalism