The office of prime minister has been consistently used in modern Ethiopian history. Prior to the establishment of modern government institutions, Ethiopia was an
absolute monarchy with the
King of Kings presiding as the absolute ruler of Ethiopia. The role of head of government emerged as a cabinet position in the late 18th and early 19th centuries following the introduction of modern government by
Emperor Menelik II. The heads of government of Ethiopia have been the
chief minister (1909–1943), and then the
prime minister (1943–present). The
1995 Constitution transformed Ethiopia into a
parliamentary republic and made the prime minister the
chief executive of Ethiopia. ===
Solomonic Dynasty (1270–1931) and Modern Absolute Monarchy (1931–1974) ===
The chief minister of Ethiopia The first
head of government at the cabinet level was
Habte Giyorgis Dinagde as the emperor's loyal chief minister under
Emperor Menelik II. The chief minister was the chair of the cabinet and the
Ministry of Defense, who served at the pleasure of the
King of Kings, the absolute ruler. In modern Ethiopian history there have been three chief ministers, including
Tafari Makonnen under
Empress Zewditu and Betwoded Wolde Tzaddick under
Emperor Haile Selassie.
The 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia The office of the prime minister was officially established following the
1931 Constitution of Ethiopia. The 1931 constitution was the first modern constitution in Ethiopia that attempted to create a modern system of government. The 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia named the
emperor of Ethiopia as the absolute ruler of Ethiopia and the prime minister as the leader of the council of ministers that coordinated day-to-day government activities with the consent of the emperor of Ethiopia. Until the
1955 revised Constitution of Ethiopia there were three prime ministers, including the first prime minister
Makonnen Endelkachew and the last prime minister
Abebe Aregai, who was assassinated during the failed
1960 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt. Following the assassination of Abebe Aregai,
Imru Haile Selassie served as acting prime minister for only three days.
The 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia The
revised 1955 constitution of Ethiopia was put into effect in 1961 following the failed
1960 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt. The
1955 revised Constitution of Ethiopia attempted to take Ethiopia towards a
constitutional monarchy system. Under the 1955 constitution the office of the prime minister and
Chamber of Deputies was given autonomy and power. Although the prime minister and parliament's power was stronger on paper, in practice the
emperor of Ethiopia possessed significant power and ruled the country as de jure absolute ruler. Nonetheless since Ethiopia was coming out from absolute monarchy where only the monarch had power, over time the prime minister became in fact the head of government while the Emperor was the head of state. The first prime minister under the 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia was
Aklilu Habte-Wold, and the last prime minister was
Mikael Imru, who was dismissed following the
1974 revolution which established the
Provisional Military Government (PMG).
The Provisional Military Government (PMG) (1974–1987) In September 1974 the last
emperor of Ethiopia,
Haile Selassie, was overthrown by a military coup. The military administration abolished the
monarchies of Ethiopia and established the
Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia. The chairman of the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia was head of the government. From 1974 until 1987 the office of prime minister was not in use until the declaration of
1987 Constitution of Ethiopia which created the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) (1987–1991) The prime minister office came into effect following the declaration of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE). The
1987 Constitution of Ethiopia named the prime minister as the
head of government and the principal advisor to the president of the people's republic. The prime minister also held the highest rank in the civil service of the central government. The prime minister was formally approved by the
National Shengo upon the nomination of the president. In practice, the prime minister was chosen within the
Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE) through deliberations by incumbent WEP Politburo members and retired WEP Politburo Standing Committee members. The first prime minister of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was
Fikre Selassie Wogderess, who served from 1987 to 1989. The last prime minister was
Tesfaye Dinka, who fled to the United States in exile following the dissolution of the London peace conference which ended the PDRE and established the
Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE).
Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TEG) (1991–1995) The end of the
Ethiopian Civil War in May 1991 resulted in the end to the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia constitution. A new provisional constitution and
Transitional Government of Ethiopia was formed. The Transitional Government of Ethiopia was de facto a
semi-presidential system, with the president as head of state and prime minister as head of government. The prime minister was appointed by the president, along with other ministers in the Cabinet. The prime minister coordinated and chaired cabinet meetings with the consultation of the president of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia. The only prime minister who served during the Transitional Government of Ethiopia was
Tamrat Layne.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) (1995–present) A draft of a new constitution was declared in 1995 as
the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The
1995 Constitution of Ethiopia transformed Ethiopia into a
parliamentary republic with the
president of Ethiopia as head of state and the prime minister as head of government. The
Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia explicitly vests executive power in the
Council of Ministers chaired by the prime minister as
chief executive and de jure
commander-in-chief of the
Ethiopian Armed Forces. The prime minister is nominated among members of the
House of Peoples' Representatives and must be approved by two-third majority vote of confidence. In practice, the prime minister is the leader of the largest party with the highest number of sites in the House of Peoples' Representatives. The prime minister nominates the
member of Council of Ministers for approval by House of Peoples' Representatives by two-third majority. The first prime minister of
FDRE was
Meles Zenawi, who served from 1995 to 2012. The current prime minister is
Abiy Ahmed serving since April 2018. ==Nomination and appointment of the prime minister==