1955 Constitution of Ethiopia

The Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia announced a revised constitution in November 1955. This constitution was created in 1931 as its predecessor, the Erfragung the international public opinion.

This opinion was particularly important this time because some neighboring African states were rapidly progressing in the context of European colonial tutelage and Ethiopia its claims internationally for the inclusion of the province of Eritrea, where an elected parliament, the National Assembly and a modern administration since the Italian colonial period in Italian Eritrea had passed, modified.

The new constitution consisted of eight chapters and 131 articles. This document was created by three Italian consultants who worked restored in consultation with the two leading figures of the monarchy, Wolde Giyorgis Wolde Yohannes and Aklilu Habte -Wold. While it was clearly " not a mirror image" of the U.S. Constitution, it contained a number of ideas from this document, such as a separation of powers between the three branches of government, and the careful attention to the detailing of " rights and duties of nations," were dedicated to the 28 items. Despite this element, says John Spencer, one of the Italian authors of the Constitution " that the Ethiopian Crown Council imposed upon the authors of the Constitution, to emphasize the prerogatives of the Crown in the Constitution. " Bahru Zewde emphasizes the nature of the executive powers in his discussion of this document, and notes that it is " a legal charter for the consolidation of absolutism " was. Bahru quoted the relevant section of Article 4 of the Constitution: "His Imperial blood properties [ the origin of the Solomonic dynasty ], and by the anointing which he has received, the person of the Emperor is sacred, dignity is inviolable and his power indisputable. "

Despite the strengthening of the position of the emperor, was the responsibility of the Ethiopian Parliament, which now consisted of two chambers, extended. The Senate remained nomination rights, but the Chamber of Deputies was, at least nominally, elected. It was given a new legislative power: Unlike the legislature in terms of 1931er Constitution, the only constitutional matters could be discussed, the new Parliament now had the authority to propose laws and regulations and to propose veto by the executive. It could also be summoned for questioning ministers, and in exceptional circumstances it could initiate impeachment proceedings against them. It is believed that its main new feature was the power over its budgetary position: Parliament had now the responsibility to accept or reject all proposed budgets, taxes and allocations.

However, the lack of a census, the illiteracy among the population, and the domination of the countryside by the nobility may mean that the majority of candidates who attempted in the elections in 1957, were chosen by the elites. The Chamber of Deputies was not quite a punch, in times of discussion and questioning of bills and state ministers. However, provisions have been guaranteed in the constitution, that the personal liberties and fundamental rights, including freedom of assembly, movement and freedom of speech protected. The case law and the legislative process, however, were so far removed from the realities of Ethiopian life that no group or person trying to act publicly against them.

This constitution was suspended from the Derg government in its Proclamation No. 1, the deposition was aired on September 15, 1974 three days after Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed. Until the Constitution of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1987 and the introduction in the People's Republic of Ethiopia, there was no introduction of a new constitution more.