The Need and Impact of Reforming the Ethiopian Electoral System
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2017-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
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.
Key words: Election, Electoral system, Ethiopia, First Past the Post, Proportional Representation
Description
Keywords
Election, Electoral system, Ethiopia, First Past the Post, Proportional Representation