ABSTRACT For centuries Ethiopia's rulers have attempted to overcome local bases of power and establish a strong central government. To the extent that this was achieved, it produced many largely ethnically based rebellions which plagued the country until the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front's victory in 1991. The new government, which had its origins in an ethnically based revolt opposed to the hegemonic position of the Amhara in Ethiopia, appears committed to devolving power to regional ethnic governments and has even granted them the right to independence. This article examines the background to this process, critically discusses constitutional provisions regarding national self-determination, and provides an overview of the experience of the regional governments and the role and obstacles they face in moving long-authoritarian Ethiopia towards democracy. Ethiopia's experience is thus instructive to other states in Africa contemplating or undergoing programmes of decentralisation.
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.