Unit One: Building A Democratic System Lesson One: Basic Principles of The Ethiopian Constitution

Unit One: Building a Democratic System
Lesson One: Basic Principles of the Ethiopian Constitution

The Ethiopian Constitution has the following basic principles:
 The sovereignty of the people;
 The supremacy of the Constitution;
 The respect of human and democratic rights;
 The separation of state and religion;
 Conduct and accountability of the government.
The sovereignty of the people:
The Ethiopian Constitution is an expression of peoples’ sovereignty.
All sovereign power resides in the Nation, nationalities and Peoples.
The source of power in the country are the Nations Nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. Elected
officials are given their power by citizens of the country.
Supremacy of the Constitution:

The Constitution is the supreme law of the country.
Other laws and rules and regulation in Ethiopia subordinate to the Federal Constitution.
Respecting the constitution is the foundation for the prevalence of the rule of law in the country.
The respect of human and democratic rights:

Human and democratic rights are respected through the constitution.
Citizens have the right to exercise their human and democratic rights.
The separation of state and religion:

The separation of state and religion creates a condition for all religions to be equal.
Separation of state and religion is essential for a democratic state.
Ethiopia is a secular state. Secular state is the one that separates state and religion as two independent
institutions with different objectives.
Conduct and accountability of the government:
The government and its officials are accountable to the people.
Public officials and elected representatives accountable for any failure in their duties.
Lesson Two: Human and Democratic rights and the Ethiopian Constitution
In a democracy, there are fundamental rights and freedoms that citizens enjoy.
The Ethiopian Constitution lists rights and freedoms in two categories.
The human and democratic rights do not exist in separation; rather they form a whole.
Active public participation is the key to a democratic system. Without public participation there cannot
be democracy.
Lesson Three: Citizens’ Obligations/Duties

Your obligations arise from the rights you enjoy.
You are given rights, but with these come duties.
Your constitutional obligations include respecting the rights of fellow Ethiopians.
As you have rights to enjoy, so you have constitutional obligations to fulfil.
In a democracy, your obligations and rights are kept in balance.
A failure to respect constitutional obligation is punishable by law.
You should fulfil your obligations in respect to the Constitution and other laws of the country.
There are many obligations that citizens have; they include the following:
 Respect for religious equality;
 Respect for gender equality;
 Respect for the rights of others;
 Respect for the national flag.
Lesson Four: Features of a Democratic System

The features of a democratic system are based on many fundamental principles.
In a democracy, power resides in the people.
Abuse of power in government can be checked through transparency and accountability.
Government officials have an obligation to be transparent and accountable for what they do.
Promoting political tolerance among groups holding different viewpoints is one of the features of a
democratic system.
People who are able to handle diversity help to create a strong national unity.
Lesson five: Federalism
Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between federal and regional
governments.
The principle of federalism is to devolve power to regions that constitute the federation.
The devolution of power makes neither the central nor the regional governments supreme.
Federalism is an incentive to empower citizens at all levels to exercise power within their own area.
Federalism paves the way for a unity that arises from diversity. Unity in a multicultural setting can be
nurtured when you are able to appreciate diversity in a positive way.
Federalism creates a sense of responsibility among its citizens to respect each other’s rights in order to
live in peace and dignity.
Since 1991, Ethiopia became a federal democratic republic.
Retaining its federal structure, Ethiopia remains unitary in spirit.
Lesson Six: Ethiopia and International Relations

Ethiopia is the only country that was never colonized in Africa.
Ethiopia fought many wars to maintain its independence and had interaction with the outside world
for a long time.
Ethiopia entered into formal and modern international relations after the Battle of Adwa.
Following the Victory of Adwa, Ethiopia and Italy signed a treaty to formally end the Italian colonial
claim over Ethiopia.
Ethiopia joined the League of Nations in 1923.
The United Nations was born out of the debris of the Second World War and Ethiopia became one of
the founding members.
Ethiopia pioneered the establishment of the Organization of African unity (OAU), later the African
Union (AU), and Addis Ababa became its headquarter.
Ethiopia contributed to the formation of sub-regional organizations such as COMESA and IGAD.
Ethiopia played a role as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement/NAM.
Ethiopia contributed peacekeeping forces to the UN mission to Korea, Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia,
Congo and Darfur.

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Unit One: Building A Democratic System Lesson One: Basic Principles of The Ethiopian Constitution

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Unit One: Building a Democratic System

Lesson One: Basic Principles of the Ethiopian Constitution

Supremacy of the Constitution:

The respect of human and democratic rights:

The separation of state and religion:

Lesson Three: Citizens’ Obligations/Duties

Lesson Four: Features of a Democratic System

Lesson Six: Ethiopia and International Relations

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