REGIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY IN ETHIOPIA

For centuries Ethiopia's oilers have attempted to overcome local bases of power and establish a strong central government. To the extent tha t this was achieved it produced many largely ethnically based rebellio ns which plagued the country until the Ethiopian People's Revolutionar y Democratic Front's victory in 1991. The new government, which had it s origins in an ethnically based revolt opposed to the hegemonic posit ion of the Amhara in Ethiopia, appears committed to devolving power to regional ethnic governments and has even granted them the right to in dependence. This article examines the background to this process, crit ically discusses constitutional provisions regarding national self-det ermination, and provides an overview of the experience of the regional governments and the role and obstacles they face in moving long-autho ritarian Ethiopia towards democracy. Ethiopia's experience is thus ins tructive to other states in Africa contemplating or undergoing program mes of decentralisation.