ABSTRACT

Since the 1991 victory of Ethiopian people's revolutionary democratic front (EPRDF) in the civil war, Ethiopia has attempted to resolve its ethnic conflicts through devolution of powers. This chapter provides an overview the country's history of civil war, which largely has been fuelled by different ethnic group's resistance against domination by central state and the imposition of the elite's culture. It presents an overview of the political reforms after the end of the civil war and their impact on conflict and democracy. The electoral system for the house of peoples' representatives is plurality elections in single-member constituencies (FPTP). Plurality elections in single-member constituencies do not give proportional representation of different parties. It tends to favour the bigger parties, which in Ethiopia means the EPRDF. The Ethiopian experience shows that devolution of power may mitigate ethnic conflicts in highly diverse countries. The granting of regional autonomy has facilitated the political participation and increased confidence for previously marginalised groups.