CHAPTER 6:............................THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ETHIOPIAN FEDERAL SYSTEM 65 T
HE ASYMMETRY OF THE FEDERAL UNITS
......................................................................................................65
Ethnic delimitation of the federal units............................................................................................66 Socio-economic differences between the federal units....................................................................73 F
ISCAL RELATIONS
..........................................................................................................................................74
Vertical imbalance – the regional states’ dependence on the centre ............................................75 Horizontal imbalance – poor lowlands, wealthier ‘city states’ .....................................................78 Federal grants and subsidies ............................................................................................................79 P
ARTY POWER AND FEDERAL
–
REGIONAL RELATIONS
..................................................................................81
EPRDF and its allies in the regional administrations ...................................................................82 The principle of democratic centralism and accountability upwards...........................................83 “Dual administration” – politics outside the legal framework.....................................................85 T
HE DYNAMICS OF REGIONAL AND CENTRAL PARTY POWER
–
EXAMPLES FROM TIGRAY AND SNNPRS
........89
The bases for creating Tigray and SNNPRS as federal units ........................................................89 TPLP’s and SEPDF’s regional positions and relations to the central EPRDF ..........................91 Local empowerment? .........................................................................................................................94 C
ONCLUSION
:
A TWO TRACK FEDERALISATION PROCESS
?.............................................................................98
