All about Ethiopian Constitution

All about Ethiopian Constitution
Ethiopian Constitution
The Ethiopian Constitution comprises of
 General articles
 Fundamental principles of the Constitution
 Fundamental rights
 Human rights
 Democratic rights
The Preamble
All nationals, nations and people of Ethiopia have the right of self determination, to build a political community which is founded by the rule of law that is capable of providing lasting peace and guarantees a democratic order. Our constitution helps in the development of social and economic status of the country. We are convinced the objective is to respect people’s freedom, rights, to live together without any discrimination and inequality.
We are proud of our rich cultural legacies and have interactions with many life forms at different levels. We have also built up and contributed for common interest and outlook.
We will have common destiny and shared interests and our economic community with create mutually supporting conditions which will respect the rights and freedom for the promotion of interest of all.
We ensure to promote peace and prospect in our democratic system.
We adopted the democratic system on December 1994 and elected our representatives as an instrument to bind the community objectives and principles.
General Articles
Article 1
Nomenclature of the State
The state has been renamed as Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Article 2
Ethiopian Territorial Jurisdiction
Ethiopian Territorial Jurisdiction shall determine the boundaries and resolve the international agreements.
Article 3
The Ethiopian Flag
The Ethiopian flag has three colors – green, yellow and red and has a national emblem at the centre which indicates the hops of people.
Article 4
National Anthem of Ethiopia
The National Anthem reflect the principles of constitution and the commitment of people to maintain democracy
Article 5
Languages
1. All languages of Ethiopia have been given equal importance and the working language of Federal Government is Amharic.
2. The members of Federation can determine their respective working language by law.

Article 6
Nationality
1. A person of either sex born to both or one Ethiopian parent is of Ethiopian nationality.
2. Even foreign nationals can apply to get Ethiopian nationality through specified legal procedure.
Article 7
Gender Reference
Constitution applies equally for male and female nationals.
Fundamental principles of the Constitution
Article 8
Sovereignty of the people
1. The Constitution provides sovereign power to all nationals and people of Ethiopia.
2. The sovereignty can be determined by selecting representative as per Constitutional laws and by actively participating in the democratic process.

Article 9
Supremacy of the Constitution
 The law of Constitution supreme and it is not affected by decision of any person or public official.
 All citizens, associations, political organizations and officials are obliged to follow and obey the constitution.
 Assuming state power is strictly prohibited.
 International agreements will be resolved by the Ethiopian government by the law of the land.
Article 10
Human and Democratic Rights
1. The Constitution supports and promotes Human and Democratic Rights.
2. The Human Right of Freedom and mankind are sacrosanct and absolute.
Article 11
Separation of State and Religion
1. The Constitution separates religion and state.
2. There shall be no religion specific to a state and the state is not allowed to interfere in religious matters.
Article 12
Conduct and Accountability of Government
1. The government is accountable to the nationals and the conduct of affair of the government shall be transparent.
2. Public officials and elected representatives of regions shall be responsible for failure in official duties.
3. In case of loss of confidence, the people have the right to recall the elected representative and the particulars will be determined by the law.
Article 14
Rights to life, the Security of Person and Liberty
Every individual has the right to liberty and security.

Article 15
Right to Life
Every person has the right to life unless punished for criminal offence by the law.