Ethiopia has always oscillated between centralisation of power, this was accelerated under the 19th century emperors
Tewodros II (1855–68) and
Yohannes IV (1872–89). This was replicated in modern times under the
Derg regime, after the fall of the Derg, the federalism introduced in 1991 by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Historically, the
Ethiopian Empire, known as "Abyssinia" and "Ze-Etiyopia" called prior to the mid-19th century, consisted mainly of the
Amhara and
Tigrayans. These are northern people who share a similar language, culture and customs, who now make up c. 24% and 6% respectively of modern Ethiopia. Tewodros II reunified Northern Ethiopia from 1855, while his successor Yohannes IV embarked on a series of brutal military campaigns between 1880–1889 to conquer and annex the southern and eastern regions, namely western Oromo, Sidama, Gurage, Wolayta and other groups, leading largely to the current national borders. These historical memories persist in part, aggravated even today by ‘land grabs’ in the southern Oromo heartland by the ruling non-Oromo hegemony and by similar competition for land and resources between the
Amhara and
Ethiopian Somalis in the North.
Derg government and subsequent transitional government (1974-1995) The centralised
Ethiopian Empire under
Haile Selassie was abolished following the
Ethiopian Revolution, the
Mengistu and communist
Derg coup of 1974, replaced by an equally centralised Marxist-Leninist system, including the continuation of the military campaigns started by
Haile Selassie in 1961 against the resistance within
Eritrea, annexed in 1961, which persisted until 1991, and against the Somali
Ogaden invasion of 1977/78. Following the dissolution of the Derg in 1991, by the TPLF, which ended the
Ethiopian Civil War and established independence for Eritrea, Ethiopia formed a transitional government along federal lines which lasted until 1995.
Federal constitutional government (1995-present) . The
1995 Constitution of Ethiopia was promulgated by the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which enshrined a form of ethnic-based federalism, consisting of 11 ethno-linguistically defined regional states and 2 chartered cities. The states are:
Afar;
Amhara,
Benishangul-Gumuz;
Gambela;
Harari;
Oromia;
Somali; the
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region;
Tigray;
Sidama; and
South West Ethiopia. The chartered cities are
Addis Ababa, the country's capital, and
Dire Dawa. The federal structure was intended to alleviate the persistent historical ethnic tensions by establishing regional autonomy and a degree of self-rule. Article 39, Section 1 states: "Every nation, nationality and people has an unconditional right to
self-determination including the right to section." Each ethnic territory was thus given the right to secede, which was welcomed by those federally-minded but proved controversial amongst supporters of
Ethiopian nationalism and its
diaspora, especially the previously dominant
Amhara, who feared it would decentralise government and induce ethnic tensions. After the 1995 general election,
Meles Zenawi, chairman of the
Tigray People's Liberation Front, was appointed as Prime Minister. His government reversed the communist policies of the
Derg and progressively encouraged privatization of government companies, farms, lands, and investments. This socioeconomic and partial political liberalization within a federalist system, combined with a return of considerable foreign investment led to significant economic growth, double-digit in his last 9 years until his sudden death in 2012. His deputy
Hailemariam Desalegn, assumed power, which was only confirmed by elections in 2015. Under the leadership of Hailemariam, the Tigray People's Liberation Front and
EPRDF maintained the same policies until 2018, earning Ethiopia the status as the fastest-growing economy in Africa. While Meles introduced many social reforms, there was still a notable degree of political and media suppression, coupled with allegations of election meddling in 2005. The TPLF, drawn from only 6% of the population, was seen as unduly favourable to
Tigrayans, with resentment from the majority
Oromos (34%) and
Amhara (27%), with ethnic clashes also involving
Ethiopian Somalis (6%).
Recent reform In order to combat
corruption in the federal government and other factors, there have been several reforms to the lower-level organization of the Ethiopian federal government. Since 2008, the federal government has adopted several techniques inherited from business management, such as
business process re-engineering and the use of
balanced scorecards, which have demonstrated little to no positive effect on the effectiveness of civil service. ==Legislative branch==