Electoral Engineering: The Need for Moderating Ethnic Division and Political Polarisation in the Ethiopian Federal System

Abstract

Forming elected governments may be considered the first and foremost
objective of elections and electoral systems. Nevertheless, the skilful choice
of electoral systems in ethnically divided polities seems to have particular
value in establishing elected governments to deal with the seemingly intractable
ethno-cultural conflicts characterising these polities, including
Ethiopia. Conscious and skilful engineering of electoral systems, so this
article argues, can be considered as one such institutional mechanism.
The main objective of this study is thus to examine the consequences and
implications of Ethiopia’s first-past-the-post (FPTP) system for ethnic division
and political polarisation, and to suggest a possible redesign of the
electoral system to enable it to deal with these issues more effectively. To
achieve this objective, a qualitative research approach has been employed.
Additionally, previous studies on the electoral system of Ethiopia, interviews,
and various legal documents have been used as key sources of data
for the construction and discussion of the findings of this study. The study
reveals that the FPTP system supports neither political pluralism nor legitimacy
of government. It also finds that the FPTP system has left ethnic minorities
largely unrepresented in the regional political economy. Above all,
the study reveals that the FPTP system neither incentivises nor constrains
forces active on the political stage to moderate their views and stances
on ethnically or politically divisive issues. The article generally concludes
that the FPTP system is an ill-devised electoral system that cannot address
Ethiopia’s current needs and realities. It is suggested therefore that the
Ethiopian federation seek to redesign a new electoral system capable of
fostering the inclusion of its ethno-political groups and of encouraging
inter-ethnic and political moderation in the interests of achieving stable
political democracy.