BY MESERET BEHAILU
ADDIS ABABA – Having stated the current constitution as divisive and the root cause for the intensified communal violence across the country, the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC) has called for the amendment of the 27-year document.
AEPAC Executive Chairman Mesfin Tegenu, who claimed the existing constitution as the source of many pressing challenges the country has been encountering, urged all relevant actors to push for the revision of the document. Accordingly, AEPAC is going to establish a group of law experts that will study the problem in the current constitution and will come up with viable proposals. “As Ethiopia is the home to over 80 plus ethnic groups, it has to have unity, true democracy, peaceful coexistence through establishing an invaluable and representative constitution.”
Mesfin further stated that AEPAC’s committees in the 22 U.S. states have been doing tangible work to support their home country through different channels. The committee will re-meet after 45 days to assess activities and put forward directions.
Sharing the above rationale, the law expert Dereie Demessie noted that the present constitution is the main source of conflicts in the country and duly undemocratic. Even if Ethiopia has a written constitution, the Supreme Court of the country is still challenged by some of the provisions thereby making the amendment crucial to ensure democracy and equality of citizens.
The Ethiopian July 7/2022
