Scribd
Upload
37 views1 page

Poooolkkklooppbhh

Ethiopia's traditional constitutional experiences until the 1930s were based on documents like Kibre Negest and Fetha Negest, which legitimized monarchal power through divine authority rather than protecting citizens' rights. The first written constitution was introduced in 1931 by Emperor Haile Selassie I to modernize Ethiopia's image and consolidate his power, while the 1955 revised constitution aimed to address internal and external challenges but still failed to limit imperial power or guarantee citizens' rights. Both constitutions primarily served to reinforce the authority of the monarchy rather than establish fundamental rights for the populace.

Uploaded by

Eyoab Tariku
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views1 page

Poooolkkklooppbhh

Ethiopia's traditional constitutional experiences until the 1930s were based on documents like Kibre Negest and Fetha Negest, which legitimized monarchal power through divine authority rather than protecting citizens' rights. The first written constitution was introduced in 1931 by Emperor Haile Selassie I to modernize Ethiopia's image and consolidate his power, while the 1955 revised constitution aimed to address internal and external challenges but still failed to limit imperial power or guarantee citizens' rights. Both constitutions primarily served to reinforce the authority of the monarchy rather than establish fundamental rights for the populace.

Uploaded by

Eyoab Tariku
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

3.3.1.

Traditional constitutional experiences of Ethiopia Until the early 1930s, the rule of the
Ethiopian Emperors was based on traditional constitutions such as Kibre Negest, Fetha Negest and
Sirate Mengist. The traditional constitutional experience was characterized by the dominance of
myths and legends that were used to provide legitimacy to the monarchs rather than ensuring the
basic rights and freedoms of citizens. The Kibre Negest (Glory of kings), justifies that the Ethiopian
monarchs derived their power to rule from God. The Fetha Negest (Law of Kings) justifies the
authority of kings and their officials. According to Fetha Negest, challenging the authority of the king
is considered as challenging or rebelling against one’s creator - God. Sirate Mengist is the other
important document that emerged in the 19thc that proved to be administratives and protocol
directive of the government. 3.3.2. Written constitutional experiences in Ethiopia i. The 1931 written
constitution In Ethiopia the first written constitution was introduced in 1931. On July 16 1931 a few
months after his coronation, Emperor Haile Silassie I granted to the people of Ethiopia the first
written constitution in the history of Ethiopia. The Emperor was motivated to introduce his first
written constitution mainly for two reasons. The first one was the Emperor’s high aspiration to show
Ethiopia as a modern or civilized state to the external world. The second reason was, to consolidate
emperor’s absolute power over local nobilities through a formal constitutional framework. This
constitution has 7 chapters and 55 articles. Thus, the principal aim of the constitution was to
consolidate the power of the king, not to lay foundations for the fundamental rights and dignity of
citizens. ii. The Revised Constitution of 1955 Twenty years later after the adoption of the first
constitution, the imperial regime revised its constitution in 1955 mainly for two reasons: internal and
external. The internal reason was the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. Accordingly, the 1931 66
Citizenship Education Grade 9 Student Textbook constitution was interrupted, and the Emperor was
also forced to flee to Britain. The second and the most basic reason was external one, which was the
federation of Eritrea with Ethiopia in 1952. The 1955 revised constitution has 8 chapters and 131
articles. Similar to previous constitutions, the power of the Emperor and the prominent officials was
not limited by this constitution. The democratic and human rights of citizens were not guaranteed.

You might also like