By Staff Reporter
(Nairobi, Kenya) — The National Dialogue Commission’s working group consultations reached a pivotal stage as 30 elected members from each 500-member working group began consolidating agenda proposals submitted by strategic committees, according to reports from participant delegates.
Consolidated proposals are now being presented across seven major working groups. However, deliberations regarding the administrative status of Addis Ababa remain stalled due to intense political disagreement among delegates.
During deliberations on state structure, delegates considered three primary governance frameworks: unitary, federal, and confederal systems. According to participants, proposals for unitary and confederal arrangements failed to secure majority backing during sub-group discussions, shifting consensus in favor of maintaining a federal system.
Delegates evaluated two structural variations of federalism: language-based versus territorial-based models. Participants opted against a full territorial re-division to avoid restructuring existing administrative borders.
To address flaws within the current ethnic-based framework, delegates recommended systemic reforms ensuring that all Ethiopian citizens can freely participate in politics, own property, and build businesses across any region without identity-based discrimination. Delegates proposed establishing a dedicated multinational commission to enforce these protections.
On the system of government, delegates voiced strong support for transitioning to a parliamentary system led by an executive president elected by parliament, drawing comparisons to the South African constitutional model.
Participants argued that replacing the Prime Minister title with an executive president would better reflect Ethiopia’s diplomatic standing internationally. Under the consolidated proposal, the presidential term would be set at six years, subject to a strict two-term limit.
Within the institutional building working group, delegates reached consensus on national defense and security architecture. The group agreed that regional security institutions must not maintain armed structures that compete with the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in personnel or firepower:
- Regional Security Limits: Dismantling all non-standard regional armed forces, limiting regional security structures strictly to local police and organized militias.
- Militia Professionalization: Reorganizing militias through standardized military science training. While some delegates advocated for placing militia members on permanent state salaries, others cautioned that payroll expenses across districts could trigger a fiscal strain.
- Annual Security Audits: Implementing mandatory annual audits covering personnel strength and weapons inventories for regional security forces, the Federal Police, and the ENDF.
Regarding political participation, delegates favored maintaining restrictions that bar dual citizens and foreign passport holders of Ethiopian descent from voting or running for public office. Participants noted this restriction could be re-evaluated as national peace and technological infrastructure improve. However, delegates supported expanding economic access to enable foreign passport holders of Ethiopian origin to invest freely in domestic markets.
For Ethiopians living abroad (the diaspora), the working group proposed establishing an external voting framework allowing registered citizens to cast ballots at Ethiopian embassies and consulates during national elections.
Commission leaders emphasized that all proposals presented during working group sessions remain preliminary recommendations subject to further deliberation before final voting and adoption.
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