
Fortune News | Jul 18,2020
May 9 , 2020
By Christian Tesfaye
There have been a lot of suggestions coming from all corners of the political space on avoiding the impending constitutional crisis when lawmakers' time in office comes to an end this September. The most unreasonable and dangerous of these proposals is that of a transitional government.
It is unsurprising that many in the opposition have jumped on this suggestion. What boggles the mind is that many of these same individuals and political parties calling for a transitional government claim that the incumbent is taking an unconstitutional stance. Their solution to the supposed assault of the constitutional order is to throw away the Constitution altogether.
There is, undeniably, a certain logic to this view. They believe that what Ethiopia has in its hands at the moment is a crisis that cannot be addressed constitutionally. Whatever option the government takes will thus, presumably, be illegitimate in the eyes of the public.
They believe there is only one way to address this dilemma, and that is establishing a transitional government. There are various propositions on what this will entail. The most radical is to start from a blank piece of paper and write a different constitution altogether. Others suggest keeping the current constitutional order but transferring power from the lawmakers, once their term comes to an end, and giving it to an array of political parties that are believed to represent the public.
Both suggestions for a transitional government are impractical, not least for the obvious challenge of who it would be made up of. There is also a greatly dangerous element to this.
Who will be in charge of the army? Who would mobilise resources and execute plans in case of a resurgence of COVID-19 or natural disasters? And what happens if the members of the transitional government never agree on what constitutes a free and fair election?
Given what we know of opposition parties - their antagonism and lack of goodwill toward each other and their respective constituencies - the last one is not entirely implausible.
What we have in our hands is actually a lack of originality. Ethiopia’s successive opposition parties have been demanding a transitional government ever since the question of the legitimacy of government was being raised in the 1970s. It was far more plausible then when there was a coup d’etat by a military junta, which itself was refered to as a transitional military government. It is far less reasonable now when there is a state over which there is much more agreement in its arrangement.
We should reject this idea because it can lead to a very dark road. We should also reject it, because it is not the only option we have. Like many constitutions around the world, our framers have recognised that some articles might not be clear; that there might be constitutional gaps; or that society will progress far enough and some provisions might no longer become acceptable.
That is why they have included provisions for amendments and interpretation. They wanted us to consider the intent and spirit of the Constitution as well as build on it.
Currently, there is a debate on what can be done to avert this crisis constitutionally. This is good, because this offers an opportunity for further debate and discussion.
Now, more than ever, we have come to respect what our Constitution says, what it wanted to say and why. This offers the perfect opportunity for collective introspection. It will be a mistake of epic proportions if we sacrifice this opportunity for the sake of a proposition as unreasonable, unnecessary and unsafe as a transitional government.
PUBLISHED ON
May 09,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1045]
Fortune News | Jul 18,2020
Viewpoints | Jan 18,2020
Viewpoints | Aug 26,2023
Editorial | Feb 01,2019
Radar | Jan 15,2022
Fortune News | Oct 24,2020
Fortune News | Feb 27,2020
Fortune News | Aug 09,2025
Radar | Oct 09,2021
Photo Gallery | 173704 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 163928 Views | Apr 26,2019
Photo Gallery | 153962 Views | Oct 06,2021
My Opinion | 136556 Views | Aug 14,2021
Editorial | Oct 11,2025
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Oct 11 , 2025
Ladislas Farago, a roving Associated Press (AP) correspondent, arrived in Ethiopia in...
Oct 4 , 2025
Eyob Tekalegn (PhD) had been in the Governor's chair for only weeks when, on Septembe...
Sep 27 , 2025
Four years into an experiment with “shock therapy” in education, the national moo...
Sep 20 , 2025
Getachew Reda's return to the national stage was always going to stir attention. Once...
Oct 12 , 2025
Tomato prices in Addis Abeba have surged to unprecedented levels, with retail stands charging between 85 Br and 140 Br a kilo, nearly triple...
Oct 12 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
A sweeping change in the vehicle licensing system has tilted the scales in favour of electric vehicle (EV...
Oct 12 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
A simmering dispute between the legal profession and the federal government is nearing a breaking point,...
Oct 12 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
A violent storm that ripped through the flower belt of Bishoftu (Debreziet), 45Km east of the capital, in...