| Abstract: | The Ethiopian Federation which was created by the 1995 Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Constitution had nine member states and one city
administration. Apart from the creation of Dire Dawa as a city administration, no
new state has been introduced in the Ethiopian federation since the adoption of the
Constitution. However, several ethnic-based Zonal administrations in the country‟s
Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) region are now demanding to
form their own regional states. Apparently, the demands are justified under Article
47(2) of the 1995 Ethiopian constitution which follows a purely ethnic-centered
approach by giving “each nation, nationality and people” living in the nine States of
the federation “the right to establish their own States at any time.” However, since
this right has so far never been exercised in practice, the new demands are creating
anxiety in some quarters and drawing a growing attention to the constitutional
procedure for the creation of new states. This article aims to critically examine the
relevant constitutional provisions dealing with the issue of creation of new states.
Drawing insights from some other federations, we argue that the ethnic-centered
approach taken under the FDRE Constitution for the creation of new states
overlooks several important issues such as economic viability, administrative
efficiency, equity, sustainable peace, and resilience of the federal system. |
