cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term; election last held NA June 1995 (next to be held NA May 2001); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: NEGASSO Gidada elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - OPDO 177, ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10, ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
note: irregularities and violence at a number of polling stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies; voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders: Afar National Democratic Party or
ANDP [leader NA]; All-Amhara People's Organization or AAPO [KEGNAZ
MATCH Neguea Tibeb]; Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM
[TEFERA Walwa]; Bench Madji People's Democratic Organization or
BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front
or BGPDUF [leader NA]; Coalition of Alternative Forces for Peace and
Democracy or CAFPD [Kifle TIGNEH Abate and BEYENE Petros]; Ethiopian
Democratic Unity Party or EDUP [Lt. Gen. TESFAYE Gebre Kidan];
Ethiopian National Democratic Party or ENDP [FEKADU Gedamu];
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES
Zenawi] (an alliance of the ANDM, OPDO, and TPLF); Gedeyo People's
Revolutionary Democratic Movement or GPRDF [leader NA]; Gurange
Nationalities Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa Shaka
People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,
Alabaa, and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo Liberation Front or
OLF [DAOUD Ibsa Gudina]; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or
OPDO [KUMA Demeksa]; Sidama People's Democratic Organization or SPDO
[leader NA]; South Omo People's Democratic Movement or SOPDM [leader
NA]; Tigrai People's Liberation Front or TPLF [MELES Zenawi];
Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, Konta People's Democratic Organization
or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition; numerous small, ethnically based groups have formed since the defeat of the former MENGISTU regime in 1991, including several Islamic militant groups