Assefa, Getachew (Associate Professor)Tolera, Solomon2018-10-122023-11-082018-10-122023-11-082018-01http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/12625Unconstitutional change of government under AU norms refers not exclusively to Coup D’état-the sudden overthrow of a government, but it also encompasses the subversion of a democracy as expressed by the will of the people through election, refusal to relinquish power after losing election, and manipulating the supreme lawthe constitution, in order to extend the incumbency of serving government. Coup d’état is by far the most challenge to the continuity of regimes and has been a source of political instability in Africa. Though the 1990s and 2000s witnessed a decrease in the number of military Coup d’état, the coup d’état phenomenon still looms over African continent. The 2013 Coup d’état in Egypt by Field Marshal Adel Fatah Al-sisi, now a President, against elected President Mohamed Morsi, is a living proof. To combat unconstitutional change of government including coup d’état, the African union (AU) and its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) has begun to articulate a Policy on unconstitutional change of government in 1997. Since then AU has adopted a robust of legal instruments on unconstitutional change of government. However, in practice, the OAU/AU/ response to the phenomenon lack consistency and uniformity. Thus, this thesis aims at briefly examining the existing OAU/AU legal regime on unconstitutional change of government. It will then investigate OAU/AU’s response to unconstitutional change of government delving into the consistency of the response. In considering these issues, the thesis examines the response of the African Union to the 2013 Coup D’état in Egypt, in which AU Reinstated Egypt’s membership on June 17, 2014, though constitutional order was/is not restored formally. The thesis concludes by arguing that AU’s response to unconstitutional change of government is paradox to its legal norms. Key words : African Union, Unconstitutional Change of Government, Norm, Coup D’état, Egypt.enAfrican UnionUnconstitutional Change of GovernmentNormCoup D’étatEgypt.Thesis