Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book assesses the structure and functioning of the Ethiopian federal system from the perspective of the basic ideological considerations that are harboured by the ruling regime to regulate the federal system. The most potent ingredient of the Marxist ideology of the Ethiopian revolutionary movement is the right of nations and nationalities to self-determination up to and including secession that was introduced into the students' movement at the end of the 1960s. The impact of this principle in shaping the Ethiopian federal system is immense, though it has not been properly analysed by scholars studying the Ethiopian constitutional system. The system of gimgemma is also one of the important mechanisms used by Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF)/Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Forces (EPRDF) to control federal and regional state apparatus.