The State of Vertical Division of Political Power in the Ethiopian Federation
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Date
2017-04
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Addis Ababa
Abstract
Vertical division of power is the essence offederalism. In this qualitative dissertation, the author
investigates the state of vertical division of political power in the Ethiopian Federation. This
work was guided by the assumptions and principles of the Critical Paradigm. Sources of primary
data were mainly interviews and documents. The main research question addressed by this work
is "whether vertical division of political power in the Ethiopian Federation is s!ifjering from
constitutionally unwarranted centripetal and centrijilgal tendencies and moves or not". To
concretely investigate the state of vertical division of political power in the Ethiopian
Federation, key areas of vertical division of power are selected and examined in both theO/y and
practice. The specific themes examined include Selt:determination, Federal Intervention, Police
Power Division, Land Administration, Mobility and Related Rights, and Language Policy.
Moreover, aspects of the Ethiopian federal arrangement that have an impact on the state of
vertical division of political power including the prevailing nomenclature of the Federation and
the electoral system are investigated. The laws governing almost all the themes of vertical
division o.l political power discussed in this work have serious gaps. However, the practical
challenges witnessed in the areas of language policy and land administration are caused only to
a limited ex/ent by an absence of clarity of division of mandates between the Federal
Government and the state governments. On language policy issues, the constitutional stanceitself is part of the problem. On land administration, the lack of adherence to the division of
power, as provided in the Constitution, is an integral element of the challenges witnessed in the
area. Overall, whereas constitutionally unwarranted centripetal tendencies prevail over Federal
Intervention, Police Power Division, Land Administration, and Language Policy, centrilugal
tendencies prevail in the areas of Self-determination and Mobility and Related Rights. In this
work, it is shown that centripetal and centrijilgal tendencies and moves result in violations of
individual and group rights besides challenging the stability of the Federation.