In the name of diversity: The disenfranchisement of citizens in an African Federation

Abstract

The empowerment of ethnic communities is the cornerstone of the constitutional arrangement of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The Constitution organises the state along ethnic lines by using ethnicity as the primary basis to demarcate its internal boundaries. Ethnically defined autonomous subnational units are the basis for the organisation of the federation. At the same time, the Constitution, like many other contemporary Constitutions, provides for a vast array of individual rights. It declares equal commitment to both individual rights and the right of ethnic communities to autonomy. Despite the constitutional commitment to equally uphold the autonomy of ethnic communities and individual rights, the constitutional practice, this chapter argues, seems to give more weight to autonomy rights and frustrates claims based on the right of an individual to equal treatment.