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The Impact of Monopolization of Foreign Relations by Federal Government on the Autonomy of Regional States in Ethiopia: A Comparative Analysis with Other Federations

Ansar Sherif

Inherent in federal systems, competency is divided between the central government and regional states by the federal constitution. The two tiers of government exist independent of each other, i.e. they are autonomous, and power division exists on the basis of constitutional power allocation between the two. There is no hard and fast rule as to which tiers of government should be empowered with what type of powers. There are disparities among federations in dividing powers between the two levels of governments. Regarding the field of foreign relations too, it is common to see disparities among federations. Some federations have distributed power of foreign relation between the two tiers of government, while in other federations the power was granted to regional states whereas in others it was given to both tiers of government as shared power of competence.

Under the Ethiopian federal setup, federal and state powers are defined by the Federal constitution in which the latter grants power of foreign relation exclusively to the federal government. In Ethiopia, there was no constitutional and institutional set up that grant regional states to involve in foreign relations. The Federal Constitution under art.51(8) which provides that foreign relation is the exclusive power of federal government (hereinafter FG), this ceases the power of regional states specifically on matters of regional importance given to them under the constitution. Since power of foreign relation is constitutionally given to FG as its exclusive power as a result the regional states autonomy is heavily affected. The monopolization of foreign relation by FG has impacts on the autonomous existence of regional states esp. in relation to self-determination of regions. Because, they do have divergent interests, the point is by what means those divergent interests of states are safeguarded in case of monopolization of foreign relation by FG. Furthermore, the monopolization of foreign relation by FG has also ramifications on the social, political and economy of the regions. Though the Ethiopian federal system, which was mainly designed to safeguard the right to self-rule of the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia, seems to have become an instrument of encroachment upon States autonomy because of federal monopoly in the spheres of foreign relations (art. 51(8) of FDRE Constitution). The fact that foreign policy is no more strictly about a relationship between sovereign states and that treaties cover a whole variety of subjects including social and economic fields, protection of human rights, education, labor conditions, etc…have only exaggerated the federal invasion of the regional states autonomy.

Therefore, this article strives to explore the impacts of monopolization of foreign relation by FG on the autonomous expense and self-determination of regional states in Ethiopia.