Large-Scale Reforms Underway to Insure Constitutional Supremacy, Says HoF Speaker

Addis Ababa, April 21/2021 (ENA) The House of Federation (HoF) has embarked on large-scale reforms to insure constitutional supremacy and constitutionalism in Ethiopia, HoF Speaker Adem Farah said. 

A half-day consultative meeting, which discussed the first draft of “Constitutionalism and Constitutional Supremacy in Ethiopia”, was held today.

The research focused on constitutional interpretation, determination of civil matters, and federal intervention owing to constitutional endangerment by a regional state.

Speaking on the occasion, House of Federation Speaker Adem Farah said the House of Federation has been working hard to ensure constitutional supremacy in practice through critical reforms. 

“The House of Federation is undertaking institutional reforms to fulfill its constitutional mandate,” he stated, adding that the main priority of the reform is to ensure constitutional supremacy and constitutionalism in this country.

Addis Ababa University law lecturer, Getachew Assefa said supremacy of the Constitution is in practice fraught with a number of difficulties.

The lecturer specifically spoke about federal intervention owing to constitutional endangerment by a regional state and suggested substantive changes.

According to him, the federal government should make a decision on termination after having assessed the security situation on the ground.

Getachew said “the proclamation promulgates that the federal government shall have an intervention power by a mere request of the regional government. Similarly, if that regional organ says the problem is under control, it will demand withdrawal of the deployed federal forces. However, the decree does not provide for the federal government to verify whether the problem has been properly addressed. So this needs to be corrected.”

He also suggested that in the event of failure by the regional authorities in the face of clearly deteriorating security situation, the process for deployment of federal forces could be initiated by federal executive, House of People's and Representatives and House of Federation.

House of Federation Speaker Adem appreciated the recommendations made and promised to seriously consider them.