Introduction

This chapter begins by establishing the premise that an investigation into the generations of Ethiopian parliaments (1931-1935, 1957-1974, 1987-1991 and post-1995), adopting perspectives alternative to the western liberal model, and exposing unique characteristics of Ethiopian politics, history and society. The western model provides more of a linear approach where the public elects the parliament and therefore holds it accountable, and where the parliament holds the executive branch accountable through mechanisms of check and balance. This book argues that a more complex web of relations is presented by a study of the Ethiopian legislature. A view from above (political party leaders, the executive branch and the elite) reveals a perspective towards the parliament as an incompetent and inefficient institution with members subordinate to most members of the executive branch. This does not merely extrapolate from dis/functionalities of elected institutions; it is also from the incumbent’s view of elections and the electorate. A view from below (the public) reveals varied views anchored in the socioeconomic realities of different constituencies. In such a perplexing environment, MPs’ introspection reveals a deep-seated guilt for unfulfilled election promises and an aspiration to prove oneself worthy of political office in the eyes of the head of the executive branch.