Chapter Two: Some Common Features among federations

Chapter Three Federations and Second Chambers

- If a certain ethnic group does not have a state of its own, owing to its number or due to any other administrative factor, then it will have a local administration at a lower level.

- As can be observed from the Preamble and Article 8 it does not begin by the familiar formula of ‘We the people of Ethiopia.’

- It rather stipulates ‘We, the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia

- In the words of Fasil, the constitution defines Ethiopia expressly as a nation of nations

Chapter Three Federations and Second Chambers

• Article 8, one of the fundamental principles of the Constitution, seems to reinforce this assertion.
• It unusually declares that all sovereign power resides in the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia.
• Actually the Constitution is considered as nothing more than an expression of their sovereignty.
• It is, therefore, claimed that what is represented are the nationalities, the authors of the Constitution.

Chapter Three Federations and Second Chambers

Generally, it can be stated that the federal role of the second chamber may range from:

• being the forum for expressing the preference of state governments (Germany)
• to being an institution directly reflecting a pattern of electoral preference weighted in favor of the residents of the smaller units of the federation (Switzerland and the US) and
• pretension of house of nationalities in Ethiopia.

Chapter Three Federations and Second Chambers

POWERS

The difference between second chambers is even more obviously seen

• on constitutionally assigned roles in the law-making process

and

- On other particular powers

Chapter Three Federations and Second Chambers

• Does it function as co-equal legislature as in the lower house or play subsidiary role?