Practical Power and Effectiveness Level of the Ethiopian Legislature

Abstract

This study examines the influence, independence and effectiveness level of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) legislature throughout the policy making process in the first year of the fifth tenure in 2016. To this end, descriptive research design is used and heavily relied on data gathered from a number of relevant documents and other related secondary sources. The findings indicate that even if most of the legislative and oversight powers are vested in it, the FDRE legislature is practically powerless and ineffective in using these important mandated powers. Moreover, the results clarify that rubber stamp parliamentary model is the typology that best describes the legislature. The findings further suggest that the legislature’s ineffectiveness might be attributed to the presence of a single dominant party which continually practices strict party discipline on its members, along with the absence of opposition parties in the House. Hence, we recommend that there is a timely need to winding the political space for the opposition parties and the legislature, as well as to make major levels of structural and administrative system improvements to make the FDRE legislature more effective in performing its public policy making role.

Keywords: FDRE legislature; parliamentary model; power and effectiveness