Abstract
The charismatic leadership of Emperor Menelik has not only earned Ethiopia numerous nations, nationalities and peoples but also convinced the European colonialists to recognize the boundaries and existence of Ethiopia as a sovereign state. Following the glorious years of Emperor Menelik, bounded by political intrigues around the throne, deftly organized hectic negotiations to firmly land Ethiopia in the international political and legal space, and solidifying the accomplishment of Menelikian expansionism, Teferi Mekonnen was finally crowned the Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Questioning the existing political status of nations, nationalities and peoples came into the forefront during the reign of Haile Selassie although doomed to failure. The military government that assumed power in the footsteps of Haile Selassie was unsuccessful in the attainment of the request of ethno-nationalist political entrepreneurs who at the end brought down the government. The Federal constitution, in addition to making the right of the nations, nationalities and peoples’ non-derogable, has established the House of Federation to be composed of representatives of nations, nationalities and peoples. Above all, sovereignty is vested in the nations, nationalities, and peoples. Conversant to any imagination, the House that represents these groups is denied the authority to decide on issues of public emergency—a situation that threatens the life of the State. In consequence, this paper argues that power should be returned to the legitimate holders—the nations, nationalities, and peoples—a power to be exercised by the House of the Federation.
Highlights
With more than eighty nations, nationalities and peoples, Ethiopia has the experience of concocting new cocktails of politics commencing with the reign of Emperor Menelik
The military government that assumed power in the footsteps of Haile Selassie was unsuccessful in the attainment of the request of ethno-nationalist political entrepreneurs who at the end brought down the government
That is why “emperor Menelik must be considered to be the father of modern Ethiopia” (Haile, 1986: p. 469; Marcus, 1963: pp. 81-94; Marcus, 1966: pp. 117-122; Sanderson, 1962: pp. 69-90; Sanderson, 1964: pp. 87-97; Giglio, 1965: pp. 221-231; Keefer, 1973: pp. 468-474; Novati, 1994: pp. 369-385; Rubenson, 1966: pp. 445-457; and Rubenson, 1964: pp. 243-283) as Bismarck had been to the German or Mazini and Garibaldi had been for Italy
Summary
With more than eighty nations, nationalities and peoples, Ethiopia has the experience of concocting new cocktails of politics commencing with the reign of Emperor Menelik. With his majestic years of rule over Ethiopia, Haile Selassie introduced a culture of written constitution, unsuccessfully betted for reverting the stand of European colonialists on the Italian Fascists, and successfully pursued the unification, centralization and modernization attempts of Emperor Menelik His neglect for the accommodation and recognition of nations, nationalities and peoples of “greater Ethiopia”, coupled with political scandals, shortened his long years of reign and as the Ethiopians say goes: “buried in his hand-maden tunnel” This article is a modest attempt to analyze the legal and political authority of the House of Federation with particular emphasis on the emergency regime of the current constitution To this end, the section will provide a short account of the background of Ethiopia since the reign of Emperor Menelik.
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