Media, Participation and Constitution-Making in Ethiopia

Media, Participation and Constitution-Making in Ethiopia

Author: 
Stremlau, Nicole
Publisher: 
Cambridge University Press
Date published: 
2014
Record type: 
Journal Title: 
Journal of African Law
Source: 
Journal of African Law Vol. 58, No. 2, October 2014, pp. 231 - 249
Abstract: 

The role of communications in facilitating public participation in constitution-making is often neglected and misunderstood, particularly in post-war state-building when mass media may be weak. In the early 1990s, Ethiopia's ruling party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), drafted one of Africa's most ambitious constitutions, allowing for ethnic federalism, decentralization and democratic reforms. The constitution has been highly controversial and many of its aspirations remain unrealized. This article explores how the EPRDF sought to use the media to explain and encourage acceptance of the constitution. It offers a framework for analysis that is relevant for countries beyond Ethiopia by examining: the role of media policies in providing domestic and international legitimacy for constitutions; the ways in which media can provide a space for non-violent political conflict or negotiation, where elites can navigate political struggles and debate ideology; and the use of media to implement the constitution's most ambitious goals.

Language: 
Country focus: 

CITATION: Stremlau, Nicole. Media, Participation and Constitution-Making in Ethiopia . : Cambridge University Press , 2014. Journal of African Law Vol. 58, No. 2, October 2014, pp. 231 - 249 - Available at: https://library.au.int/frmedia-participation-and-constitution-making-ethiopia-7