the Need and Impact of Reforming the Ethiopian Electoral System
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Date
2017-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Crafting the best electoral system is a vital event in a given country’s constitution building.
However, no single electoral system is immune from criticism in the electoral results it produces.
The Ethiopian electoral system that is enshrined in the FDRE constitution is the first-past-the post system. This thesis assesses whether the Ethiopian current electoral system needs a reform
or not by analyzing the results of the last three national elections and elucidates what impact the
reform will bring if it materializes. It does so by examining the efficacies that the current
Ethiopian electoral system has and by critically analyzing the ‘would have been’ results if the
proposed electoral system was in practice. Given the fact that Ethiopia is a nation of nations and
multi-cultural state, the relevance of FPTP is challenged. Careful prioritization of combined
yardsticks is an advisable step for states in designing their electoral system. This could not be an
exception to Ethiopia. Thus, the most representative electoral system of proportional
representation suits for Ethiopia paying due attention to its context.
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Keywords
Election, Electoral system, Ethiopia, First Past the Post, Proportional Representation