Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia
Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት ፓርላማ | |
|---|---|
 Emperor Haile Selassie giving a speech from the throne in front of parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate and Chamber of Deputies |
| History | |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Disbanded | 1974 |
| Succeeded by | National Shengo |
| Elections | |
Last Chamber of Deputies election | 1973 |
| Meeting place | |
| Ethiopian Parliament Building | |
| History of Ethiopia |
|---|
 |
The Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት ፓርላማ) was the bicameral legislature of the Ethiopian Empire from 1931 to 1974. It consisted of the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, and the upper house, Senate. The legislature was established in the 1931 Constitution, all members appointed, primarily by the Emperor of Ethiopia. The 1955 Constitution introduced elections to the lower chamber. The Ethiopian Parliament Building was the meeting place of the imperial parliament. The last elections took place in 1973. The legislature was abolished by Derg.
Senate
[edit]The Senate, Yaheg Mawossegna Meker-beth(የሕግ መወሰኛ ምክርቤት), was established in 1931. Initially, its members were appointed, and they came from the nobility, the aristocracy, cabinet ministers, and civil servants.[1] The chamber was reformed in the 1955 constitution so that the members were appointed by aristocrats. In 1974, there were 125 members in the chamber.[2]
Senate Presidents
[edit] |
| Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidwoded Wolde Tsadeq Goshu | 1931 | 1936 | [3] |
| Gebru Desta | 1941 | ? | [4] |
| Negash Bezabeh | 1942 | 1943 | |
| Blattengeta Lorenzo Taezaz | 1943 | 1944 | |
| Tsahafe Taezaz Wolde Maskal | 1944 | 1945 | [5] |
| Mangasha Jambare | 1945 | 1946 | |
| Ras Bidwoded Makonnen Endelkachew | 1957 | 1961 | [6] |
| Ras Asrate Kassa | 1961[7] | 1964 | |
| Lt-Gen. Abey Abeba | 1964 | 1974 | [1][8] |
Chamber of Deputies
[edit]The Chamber of Deputies, Yaheg Mamria Meker-beth, was established in 1931. Initially, the members were chosen by the Emperor of Ethiopia, the nobility and the aristocrats.[1] The chamber was reformed by the 1955 constitution, and members were to be elected. In 1974, there were 250 members in the chamber.[2]
Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies
[edit] |
| Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blattengeta Belatcho Yadete | 1943[9] | 1945-? | [5] |
| Grazmatch Gebre Kristos Wolde Michael | ?-1953 | 1953-? | |
| Lij Haile Mariam Kebede | 1955 | 1957 | |
| Wossen Hailu | 1957 | 1960 | [10] |
| Girma Wolde-Giorgis | 1961 | 1965 | [11] |
| Fitawrari Bayissa Jemmo | ?-1966 | 1967 | |
| Ato Tadesse Taye | 1967 | 1969-? | [12] |
| Ato Seife Taddese | 1970 | 1974 | [13] |
| Ato Abebe Wendimeneh | 1974 | 1974 | [14] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Prouty, Chris; Rosenfeld, Eugene (1981). Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1448-X.
- ^ a b "Elections During the Reign of Emperor Haile Selassie" (PDF). Archived from the original on 9 June 2011.
- ^ Campbell, Ian (2017). The Addis Ababa massacre: Italy's national shame. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 9781849046923.
- ^ Wubneh, Mulatu (1 January 2023). Planning for Cities in Crisis: Lessons from Gondar, Ethiopia. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-031-18416-1.
- ^ a b "Image" (PDF).
- ^ Ethiopia Observer. 1956.
- ^ Ethiopia Observer. 1961.
- ^ Shinn, David; Ofcansky, Thomas (2013). Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7457-2.
- ^ British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print: Africa, 1944. University Publications of America. 1998. ISBN 978-1-55655-676-0.
- ^ Haile Selassie I (1994). My Life and Ethiopia's Progress: Addis Abeba, 1966 E.C. Michigan State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87013-308-4.
- ^ Agriculture, United States Congress House Committee on (1965). "Agriculture in Africa, a Report of the Subcommittee on Foreign Agricultural Operations of ..."
- ^ "Bulletin of the Inter-parliamentary Union". The Union. 1966.
- ^ "Ethiopia Says Ex-Official Blocked News of Famine". The New York Times. 10 September 1974.
- ^ Ǧambaré, ʼAbarā (2005). Agony in the Grand Palace: 1974-1982. Shama Books. ISBN 9781931253147.