An Assessment of Challenges and Prospects of Local Level Council in Promoting Democracy the Case of selected Woredas in Addis Ababa City Administration
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Date
2013-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Local government is the tier of public authority that citizens first look to solve their immediate
social problems. Among all the public institutions at local level, council has a special status and
authority as local elected bodies. They are uniquely placed to provide vision and leadership to
their local communities. They are able to make things happen on the ground where it really
matters.
The government of Ethiopia in general and Addis Ababa city administration in particular
establishes council at different tiers of government as parliamentary control mechanism to
ensure effective policy implementation, promote local democracy and improve service delivery.
However, woreda councils in Addis Ababa city administration were not seen playing such role of
democracy promotion. Moreover, studies conducted in regional woredas divulged that Woredas
council have not yet managed to exercise sufficient local autonomy due to several reasons such
as absence of clearly established legal mandate, lack of devolution of power, poor organization
of the system and tight control and intervention by higher authorities.
Therefore, this study aimed to assess the challenges and prospects that woreda council at Addis
Ababa city administration has faced in promoting democracy among grass-root people. It also
examines the overall operations of the councils from the viewpoints of democratic government
and decentralization
In order to pursue the objective of the study the researcher use multi-stage sampling technique
and relied on both primary and secondary data source. Primary data collected through
questionnaires, interview and observations while secondary data obtained from document
analysis like legislation on the issue, minutes and reports complied by counsel’s office.
It was found that problems prevailed in regional woreda councils are also impeded woreda
councils at Addis Ababa City Administration. The internal working system of woreda councils
reflected that executive domination is very soaring, and councils are not responsive to the needs
of the community and most importantly democratic essence viz. accountability, transparency,
participation and autonomy are not adhered principles in the councils conduct. Therefore,
councils as they are impeded by the above-mentioned challenges are playing insignificant role in
cultivating democratic value and improving the service delivery to the grass root people.
Therefore, it is recommended that the internal working system of councils need to be very
transparent, responsive, participatory and free from any unnecessary intervention. Councilors
must be sensitive to public interest; legal back up from the city administration is also needed in
order to make councils strong, autonomous and powerful. The field that councilors operating
also should be open to all stakeholders as the democracy promotion works calls for the
involvements of different actors
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Keywords
Promoting democracy