Ethiopia: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik local short form: Ityop'iya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE etymology: the country name derives from the Greek word "Aethiopia," which in classical times referred to lands south of Egypt in the Upper Nile region |
|---|---|
| Government type | federal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 9 ethnically based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples) |
| Independence | oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first century B.C.) |
| National holiday | National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991) |
| Constitution | several previous; latest drafted June 1994, adopted 8 December 1994, entered into force 21 August 1995 (2016) |
| Legal system | civil law system |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ethiopia dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President MULATU Teshome Wirtu (since 7 October 2013) head of government: Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn (since 21 September 2012); Deputy Prime Ministers DEMEKE Mekonnen Hassen and DEBRETSION Gebre-Michael cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 October 2013 (next to be held in October 2019); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative elections election results: MULATU Teshome Wirtu (OPDO) elected president by acclamation |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or Yefedereshein Mikir Bete (108 seats; members indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 5-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or Yehizb Tewokayoch Mekir Bete (547 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms); note - the House of Federation is responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues and the House of People's Representatives is responsible for passing legislationelections: last held on 24 May 2015 (next to be held in 2020) election results: House of Representatives percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 500, SPDP 24, BGPDP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, APDO 1, HNL 1, independent 1 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court or Supreme Imperial Court (consists of 11 judges); note - the Federal Supreme Court has jurisdiction for all constitutional issues judge selection and term of office: president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; judges serve until retirement at age 60 subordinate courts: federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP (Mohammed KEDIR) Argoba People Democratic Organization or APDO Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Party or BGPDP Blue Party (Semayawi Party) (Yanatan TESFAYE, spokesman) Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum or FORUM (Dr. Moga FRISSA) (a UDJ-led 6-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections) Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF (Hailemarian DESALEGN) (including the following organizations: Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO; Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement or SEPDM; Tigray People's Liberation Front or TPLF) Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM Harari National League or HNL (YASIN Husein) Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF Oromo Liberation Front or OLF (DAOUD Ibsa) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Birru Geda (since 6 January 2011) chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 364-1200 FAX: (1) (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Seattle consulate(s): Houston, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Peter H. VROOMAN (since 2016) embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: (251) 11 130-6000 FAX: 124-2401 (251) 11 124 2401 |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often appropriated by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996 |
| National symbol(s) | Abyssinian lion (traditional), yellow pentagram with five rays of light on a blue field (promoted by current government); national colors: green, yellow, red |
| National anthem | name: "Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enat Ethiopia" (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia) lyrics/music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu note: adopted 1992 |