VII. In the course of its work, the CRM met with senior government officials in the thematic clusters. It also interacted with representatives and officials of various institutions with a bearing on governance, including the Cabinet, the Judiciary and the Attorney General, the General Assembly, the Internal Revenue Authority, the Auditor General, the Central Bank, the Anti-Corruption Body, and various government departments. The CRM also held discussions with nonstate stakeholder groups, including private sector representatives, civil society organisations, women’s groups, and political parties. VIII. From 9 to 16 September 2009, the CRM visited the Regional States. Members of the Panel held interactive sessions with stakeholders in Tigray, Oromia, Addis Ababa City Council, Dire Dewa, Harari, Gambella and Benishagul-Gumeze before returning to Addis Ababa for a wrap-up session with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 17 September 2009. Overall all, the CRM had very fruitful deliberations and exchanges. IX. In what follows, we present an overview of the Ethiopian Country Review Report. C. Background X. Ethiopia, one of the world’s oldest countries, has had a long, varied, and troubled history. Unique among African countries, during its three millennia of existence, Ethiopia never was colonised - with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation, from 1936-41. However, for much of its history, peace has eluded Ethiopia, resulting in lengthy periods of socio-economic and political stagnation. XI. After centuries of feudal monarchical rule, prolonged civil war, and subsequent rule by the Derg regime, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) seized power in 1991. Since assuming office, the EPRF has been squarely facing several formidable challenges: doing away with the authoritarian and repressive rule of the past and instituting a constitutionally guaranteed federal democratic political system in its place. This process has gone hand in hand with dismantling a state-dominated and underdeveloped command economy, and introducing a market-oriented economy XII. Thanks to the strong political will and commitment of the new rulers and the peoples of Ethiopia, almost two decades of relative peace and political stability, and the cooperation of the international community and development partners, Ethiopia has been able to register noteworthy achievements in all the thematic areas of the APRM. For the first time ever, a federal democratic political system was introduced by the 1994 FDRE Constitution consisting of a federal - 24 -