National Shengo
Coordinates: 9°00′N 38°42′E / 9°N 38.7°E
National Shengo Amharic: ብሔራዊ ሸንጎ | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | |
| Type | |
| Type | unicameral |
| History | |
| Established | 22 February 1987 |
| Disbanded | 28 May 1991 |
| Preceded by | Ethiopian Parliament |
| Succeeded by | , Federal Parliamentary Assembly |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 835 |
 | |
Political groups | Workers' Party of Ethiopia: 795 seats Independents: 40 seats |
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post voting | |
First general election | 14 June 1987 (and only election) |
| Meeting place | |
| Shengo Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
| Constitution | |
| 1987 Constitution of Ethiopia | |
The Shengo ("council"), officially the National Shengo, was the legislature of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) from 1987 to 1991.
Overview[]
The Shengo was established on 22 February 1987, three weeks after a national referendum approved a new constitution making Ethiopia a one-party state.[1] The Shengo's 835 members were elected to five-year terms in the June 1987 General elections where the sole legal party, the Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE), won 795 seats and communist independents won 40.[2] The Shengo became the highest organ of state legislative power of the newly formed PDRE when it convened for the first time on 9 September 1987.[3]
Executive power was vested in the president, elected by the Shengo for a five-year term, and a cabinet also appointed by the Shengo. The president was the chairman of the Council of State, which acted for the legislature between sessions.[4] Actual power, however, rested in the WPE (and particularly with Mengistu Haile Mariam).
The National Shengo, while nominally vested with extraordinary lawmaking powers, in reality, did little more than rubber-stamp decisions made by Mengistu, the WPE and their fellow travellers.[citation needed]
Abolition[]
In May 1991, Mengistu's government was finally overthrown by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) after their capture of Addis Ababa. The EPRDF immediately disbanded the Workers' Party and the Shengo.[5] In July the Transitional Government of Ethiopia was formed.[6]
References[]
- ^ Brooke, James; Times, Special To the New York (23 February 1987). "EHTHIOPIANS (sic) OFFICIALLY JOINING RANKS OF COMMUNIST NATIONS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ Elections in Africa : a data handbook. Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich, Bernhard Thibaut. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1999. pp. 382–383. ISBN 0-19-829645-2. OCLC 41431601.CS1 maint: others (link)
- ^ "Ethiopian Assembly Convenes". AP NEWS. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ "Text of the 1987 Constitution" (PDF).
- ^ Krauss, Clifford (28 May 1991). "ETHIOPIAN REBELS STORM THE CAPITAL AND SEIZE CONTROL". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ Abbink, J. "Breaking and making the state: The dynamics of ethnic democracy in Ethiopia". Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 13 (2): 149–163. doi:10.1080/02589009508729570. ISSN 0258-9001.
- Government of Ethiopia