08/06/2025
Ethnicity to Citizenship: The High-Stakes Gamble to Rewrite Ethiopia
Peaceful regime change through dialogue or credible democratic elections have rarely been recorded in Ethiopian history, if ever at all. The closest the country has ever come to a peaceful transition of power was during the political upheaval of 2018, which triggered a leadership transition within the ruling coalition itself, eventually transforming from the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) to the Prosperity Party.
That internal reconfiguration ignited a wave of political and literal conflicts that persist to this day.
In response to the mounting political crisis, Parliament voted in December 2021 to establish the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission. Mandated to foster national consensus, the Commission was introduced as an initiative to open dialogue on the country’s fundamental political questions.
Despite resistance from several opposition groups—many of whom question its legality and constitutionality—the Commission remains operational.
Last week, the Prosperity Party, along with various federal institutions and unaffiliated civic groups, submitted their agendas to the Commission. Documents obtained by The Reporter reveal the federal government is preparing a sweeping constitutional reform package that could redefine Ethiopia’s federal structure.
The preamble of the government’s 30-page submission to the Commission highlights the complex nature of constitutional reform.
“There are numerous articles, provisions, issues, and challenges in the Constitution that may require revision or amendment. These need to be addressed through broad dialogue, debate, and consensus. If the goal of an amendment is to benefit the people and citizens, then amending the Constitution may not be too difficult. However, due to the fact that the Constitution has not been genuinely sovereign or truly constitutional in practice—and has never been meaningfully tested—amending it could pose some challenges. In fact, amending such an untested law may even appear as though introducing an entirely new constitution,” it reads.
Many analysts and commentators have speculated from the outset that the dialogue would lead towards an attempt at constitutional reform. The latest developments have drawn the ire of senior political figures like Mulatu Gemechu, vice chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), who argues that the amendment process lacks legitimacy.
“One cannot just pop out of a commission and decide to amend [the Constitution]. I was there when it was created. Every element of the Constitution was put in intentionally,” he told The Reporter.
His party has distanced itself from the Dialogue Commission, citing concerns over impartiality.
“The first thing we demanded was for it to be structured as an independent entity—not one that shields the interests of any group. It should have been free from the government and political parties and treated all participants equally. That didn’t happen,” said Mulatu.
He argues that his party’s quest for a transitional government was swiftly dismissed as a threat to national unity, despite a pledge from the Commission to include “any inquiry under the heavens” in its nationwide dialogue campaign.
“A commission that has never garnered a genuine people’s mandate cannot be trusted to oversee constitutional amendments,” said Mulatu.
Dejen Mezgebe (PhD), chairman of the Tigray Independence Party (TIP), believes the proposal for constitutional amendment reflects Ethiopia’s political complexity.
“The only way to amend the Constitution is through the procedures outlined in the Constitution itself,” he said.
https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/45549/
