Book and Book Chapters (Faculty of Law)
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Browsing by Author "Dessalegn, Beza"
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Item Ethiopia: Legal response to Covid-19(Oxford University Press, 2021) Ayele, Zemelak A; Fessha, Yonatan T; Dessalegn, BezaThe Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE),1 which was promulgated in 1995, is the supreme law of the country which, among other things, defines the Ethiopian state and government structures.2 It organized Ethiopia, a formerly unitary state, into a federation.3 The Ethiopian federation is composed of a federal government and 10 states, and one constitutionally recognised self-governing city (Addis Ababa).4 The states are Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP), Somali, Tigray, and Sidama. Dire Dawa, another selfgoverning federal city, does not have constitutional recognition. Ethiopia is a parliamentary system under which the Prime Minister is appointed by the lower house of parliament.The federal system is one that aims to accommodate the ethnic diversity of the Ethiopian people. The subnational units of the federation, save for the two federal cities, are structured along ethnic lines.6 Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, the two largest and multi-ethnic cities, are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Local government, not constitutionally recognised as a level of government, is within the exclusive competencies of the states.Item Mobility and ethnic federalism in Ethiopia(Addis Ababa University, 2019) Dessalegn, Beza; Fessha, YonatanEthiopia’s federal dispensation, ushered under the 1995 Constitution, guarantees ethnic groups – constitutionally termed as “nations, nationalities and peoples” – a wide array of self-rule rights. The Constitution also provides for a number of individual rights, including the free movement of citizens within the country. In a federal setup where subnational and local boundaries are constructed along ethno-linguistic lines, the mobility of individuals presents both opportunities and challenges. While the free movement of citizens provides unique opportunities including fighting stereotypes, facilitating inter-cultural exchange, and reinforcing cultural bonds, it has also the potential to create tension with members of the host community that perceive mobility of individuals as a threat against their constitutionally recognized self-rule rights. This paper examines how the Ethiopian federal setup, without adequate legal framework, is struggling to address these competing demands and, as a result, has probably undermined both citizenship and ethnic rights.