Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially confirmed that Ethiopia will undertake radical constitutional amendments based on the outcomes and recommendations of a recently concluded national dialogue. Addressing members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives following his re-election, the Prime Minister emphasized that inclusive governance and cooperative political participation will serve as the cornerstone of his administration’s new legislative and executive term.
The journey toward these structural reforms stems from extensive multi-year groundwork. Established in late 2021, the Ethiopian Dialogue Commission (ENDC) spent more than four years conducting wide-ranging agenda-gathering sessions and stakeholder consultations across regional states and city administrations. This extensive consultative phase culminated in an official national dialogue summit held in Addis Ababa.
The national dialogue summit brought together nearly 4,000 delegates over a rigorous 38-day period. The summit centered on core pillars, including nation-building fundamentals, state structure and federalism, human rights and civil liberties, the rule of law and judicial independence, economic development and equity, good governance and institutional transparency, peace, security, social reconciliation, and working languages and cultural identity.
Following the conclusion of the summit, roughly 400 comprehensive recommendations spanning political, constitutional, economic, and social spheres were compiled. On October 3, 2026, these policy frameworks and recommendations were formally handed over to the House of Peoples’ Representatives, the federal government, and regional state administrations.
Prime Minister Abiy hailed the milestone, noting that the document handover marks a significant milestone in the national dialogue process and reaffirms the administration’s commitment to resolving Ethiopia’s long-term national challenges through inclusive dialogue and peaceful consultation. The recommendations directly address core tenets of the 1995 FDRE Constitution, which established Ethiopia’s ethnic federalist model.
Among the most profound proposed adjustments is a potential transition from the current parliamentary republic system to a presidential system, featuring a single, non-renewable six-year executive term. Another monumental proposal involves amending Article 39, which constitutionally grants “nations, nationalities, and peoples” the absolute right to self-determination, including unconditional secession.
Critics of the current setup have long argued that ethnic federalism has exacerbated identity-based conflicts, border disputes, and power struggles. Conversely, proponents of the reform argue that diluting the political weight of ethnic lines in favor of civic-based nationalism and stronger national cohesion will help suppress regional friction while maintaining local self-administration.
Key points
- The Ethiopian government is set to undertake radical constitutional amendments based on the outcomes of a recently concluded national dialogue.
- The proposed adjustments include a potential transition to a presidential system and amending Article 39, which grants the right to self-determination.
- The reforms aim to promote inclusive governance, cooperative political participation, and civic-based nationalism.
