Ethiopian Constituent Assembly election, 1994

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Elections for a Constituent Assembly were held in Ethiopia on 5 June 1994 in order to form a body to draw up a new constitution. They were the first elections after the overthrow of the Mengistu regime at the end of the Ethiopian Civil War in 1991, and the first ever multi-party elections in the country; previous elections had either been non-partisan or one-party. The results saw the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front and its allies win 463 of the 544 seats. Voter turnout was 87.5%. [1]

Ethiopia country in East Africa

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent that covers a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa, which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.

Mengistu Haile Mariam former dictator of Ethiopia

Mengistu Haile Mariam is an Ethiopian politician who was the leader of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. He was the chairman of the Derg, the military junta that governed Ethiopia, from 1977 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) from 1987 to 1991. The Derg took power in the Ethiopian Revolution following the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1974, marking the end of the Solomonic dynasty which had ruled Ethiopia since the 13th century. Mengistu purged rivals for power from the Derg and made himself Ethiopia's dictator, attempting to modernize Ethiopia's feudal economy through Marxist-Leninist-inspired policies such as nationalization and land redistribution. His bloody consolidation of power in 1977–1978 is known as the Ethiopian Red Terror, a brutal crackdown on opposition groups and civilians following a failed assassination attempt by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) in September 1976, after they had ignored the Derg's invitation to join the union of socialist parties.

Ethiopian Civil War civil war in Ethiopia between 1974 and 1991

The Ethiopian Civil War was a civil conflict fought between Ethiopia's communist governments and anti-government rebels from September 1974 to June 1991.

Contents

The Assembly finished drafting the new constitution in December, and it went into effect in August 1995.

1995 Constitution of Ethiopia Current constitution of Ethiopia since August 21, 1995

The current Constitution of Ethiopia, which is the supreme law of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, came into force on 21 August 1995. The constitution was drawn up by the Constituent Assembly that was elected in June 1994. It was adopted by the Transitional Government of Ethiopia in December 1994 and came into force following the general election held in May–June 1995.

Background

Mengistu Haile Mariam was the leader of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991, during the military dictatorship or the Derg. The Ethiopian Civil War in 1991 ended with the overthrow of the Mengistu Regime. [2] The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a rebel group during the Derg, was transformed into the Transitional Government of Ethiopia in May 1991. With help, and money, given by the United States State Department with expectations of "democratic" behavior, the EPRDF was able to choose members of the TGE and how it would be run. [3] Meles Zenawi became Head of State and Tamrat Layne Head of Government.

Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front Ethiopian political coalition

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is a left-wing political coalition in Ethiopia. The EPRDF consists of four political parties, namely Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM).

Transitional Government of Ethiopia transitional government of ethiopia from 1991-1995

The Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) was established immediately after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) seized power from the Communist-led People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) in 1991 and it continued until 1995, when it transitioned into the reconstituted Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which continues to this time. Meles Zenawi was the president and Tamrat Layne the prime minister of the Transitional Government.

Meles Zenawi Ethiopian politician; Prime Minister of Ethiopia

Meles Zenawi Asres was an Ethiopian politician who was the 13th Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 to his death in 2012. From 1989, he was the chairman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the head of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) since its formation in 1991. Before becoming Prime Minister in 1995, he served as President of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995.

After gaining power, the anti-Mengistu alliance started removing weaker members of the party from power, creating a new authoritarian system. Under this authoritarian system, rules were based on ethnicity and anyone with opposing ideas were silenced with basic human rights denied by the seemingly unreachable leaders of the TGE. [4]

The EPRDF held a National Conference from 1–5 July of 1991 during which they adopted a National Charter. This was an interim constitution which established the Transitional Government. The Charter created the posts of President and Prime Minister, an 87-member Council of Representatives and a 17-member multi-ethnic Council of Ministers. The Council of Representatives was to elect the president and oversee transition to a permanent government. [3] The Constituent Assembly was expectation to draw up a new constitution for Ethiopia.

The National Election Board created by the government in 1994 to organize and monitor elections, stated that out of about 23 million total eligible voters, over 15 million registered to vote. [2]

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is an autonomous government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' Representatives.

Campaign

Although there enthusiasm about the end of the dictatorship, there was also some scepticism about some of the new partie; the democratic credentials of the EPRDF were questioned due to relations with parties that were associated with the past regime such as the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP), the All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (Meisone), and the Coalition of Ethiopian Democratic Forces (COEDF).

Some groups were prohibited from becoming political parties if they were created to advance their political objectives by force of arms, and/or to foment conflict and war by preaching hatred and animosity among nations, nationalities and peoples on the basis of differences of race or religion. These included the Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE) and the Ethiopian National Democratic Party (ENDP). [5]

For months before and after the election there were many reports of voters voting out of fear of change. Some voters feared a change in government would cause a famine. Despite the people's fears not being realised, it still affected the way they voted. [6]

Results

Groups affiliated with the EPRDF that won seats include the Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), and the Hadiya People's Democratic Organisation (HPDO). [2]

AlliancePartyVotes%Seats
EPRDF and allies Oromo People's Democratic Organization 179
Amhara National Democratic Movement 134
Tigray People's Liberation Front 37
Sidama People's Democratic Organization 19
Wolayta People's Democratic Organization 13
Gamo and Gofa People's Democratic Organization 13
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front 13
Gurage People's Revolutionary Democratic Movement 12
Hadiya People's Democratic Organization 8
Keficho People's Democratic Organization 6
Gideo People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 6
Kembata People's Democratic Organization 5
Dawro People's Democratic Organization 4
Afar People's Democratic Organization 2
Alaba People's Democratic Organization 2
Bench People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 2
Shekecho People's Democratic Movement 2
Gambela People's Liberation Party 2
Tembaro People's Democratic Organization 1
Yem People's Democratic Front 1
Konso People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 1
Kore People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 1
Other partiesIndependents34
Ethiopian Somali Democratic League 13
Southern Omo People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 7
Afar Liberation Front 6
Benishangul People's Liberation Movement 5
Silte, Azernet Berbere, Alico Worero, Meskan Melga, Woloene Gedebano PDM 3
Gumusz People's Liberation Movement 2
Mein People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 2
Western Somali Democratic League 2
Argoba Nation Unity Organization 1
Kebena Nationality Democratic Organization 1
Mareko People's Democratic Organization 1
Burji People's Democratic Organization 1
Dizi People's Revolutionary Democratic Organization 1
Hareri National League 1
Gamo Democratic Unity 1
Invalid/blank votes329,179--
Total14,698,103100544
Registered voters/turnout16,797,14387.5–
Source: Nohlen, et alia

Aftermath

After the elections Negasso Gidada became President, whilst Meles Zenawi became Prime Minister. [7] Layne was Deputy Prime Minister until his dismissal in 1996. The newly elected Constituent Assembly created the new Constitution of Ethiopia which went took effect on 21 August 1995. [4] Despite the overthrow of the Derg, the party remained a virtual one-party state. [2]

Related Research Articles

Politics of Ethiopia

The politics of Ethiopia arise from the way the government of Ethiopia is structured as well as socioeconomic factors. The country's government is structured as a federal parliamentary republic with both a President and Prime Minister.

Derg

The Derg, officially the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia, was a military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987. Known fully as the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army, the Derg was a committee of low-ranking officers and enlisted men in the Ethiopian Army, led by Chairman Aman Andom, that overthrew the government of the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie I during mass protests in September 1974. Soon after it was established, the committee was formally renamed the Provisional Military Administrative Council but continued to be known popularly as "the Derg". The Derg formally abolished the monarchy and embraced communism as an ideology, establishing Ethiopia as a Marxist-Leninist one-party state with itself as the vanguard party in a provisional government. The abolition of feudalism, increased literacy, nationalization, and sweeping land reform including the resettlement and villagization from the Ethiopian Highlands became priorities. Mengistu Haile Mariam became Chairman in 1977, launching the Qey Shibir to eliminate political opponents, with tens of thousands imprisoned and executed without trial.

Tamrat Layne is an Ethiopian former politician and a converted born-again Christian. During the 1980s, he was a leader of the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement, one of the groups that fought against Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in the Ethiopian Civil War.

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At the federal level, Ethiopia elects a legislature. The Federal Parliamentary Assembly has two chambers: the Council of People's Representatives with not more than 550 members as per the constitution but actually nearly 547 members, elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies; and the Council of the Federation with 117 members, one each from the 22 minority nationalities, and one from each professional sector of its remaining nationalities, designated by the regional councils, which may elect them themselves or through popular elections.

Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia former country

The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) was a communist state that existed in Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991.

Asrat Woldeyes was an Ethiopian surgeon, a professor of medicine at Addis Ababa University, and the founder and leader of the All-Amhara People's Organization (AAPO). He was jailed by the Derg and later by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). After his death, The Guardian described him as "successively Ethiopia's most distinguished surgeon, physician and university dean, most controversial political party leader and best known political prisoner".

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1987 Ethiopian general election

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Tesfaye Dinka Yadessa was Minister of Finance (1983–1986), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1989–1991), and Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He was the head of the delegation of the Ethiopian Government during the London Conference of 1991 which aimed to end the Ethiopian Civil War.

Abune Merkorios is the fourth Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, elected after the death of Abuna Takla Haymanot in May 1988. Merkorios remained Patriarch for three years until 1991, when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) overthrew over the Communist military junta known as Derg in Addis Ababa. After spending almost three decades living in exile, he was allowed to return to Addis Ababa and be recognized as Patriarch alongside Abune Mathias.

Premiership of Meles Zenawi

The premiership of Meles Zenawi began on August 1995 following the 1995 Ethiopian general election and ended upon his death on 20 August 2012. Whilst serving as Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi concurrently served as the Leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p381 ISBN   0-19-829645-2
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kassahun Berhanu (1995) "Ethiopia Elects a Constituent Assembly", Review of African Political Economy Vol. 22.63, pp129–135
  3. 1 2 James Currey (2011) Ethiopia: The Last Two Frontiers, p230
  4. 1 2 Theodore M. Vestal (2011) "An Analysis of the New Constitution of Ethiopia and the Process of Its Adoption", Northeast African Studies
  5. ↑ Sandra Fullerton Joireman (1997) "Opposition Politics and Ethnicity in Ethiopia: We Will All Go down Together", The Journal of Modern African Studies Vol. 35.3, pp400–401
  6. ↑ "Ethiopia: Constitutional Dilemmas", 'Africa Confidential, 1 July 1994: pp3–5
  7. ↑ Nohlen et al., p385


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