37. President Meles Zenawi and members of the TGE pledged to oversee the formation of a multi-party democracy. June 1994 saw the convening of elections for a 547-member constituent assembly that adopted the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994. 38. The elections for Ethiopia’s first popularly-chosen national parliament and regional legislatures were held in May and June 1995. Most opposition parties chose to boycott these elections, ensuring a landslide victory for the EPRDF. The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was installed in August 1995. 39. The EPRDF coalition was re-elected in Ethiopia’s first ever multiparty elections in 2005. Although the party won a comfortable majority, the opposition made significant gains but disputed the results. The opposition claimed that voting was impaired by government interference and widespread fraud. Street demonstrations, following the announcement of the results, turned violent. The government reacted by cracking down on demonstrators, killing scores of people in the process and injuring others. The allegations of election fraud and antiopposition violence prompted some international donors to cut aid to the country. 40. Led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the EPRDF government promoted a policy of ethnic federalism, devolving significant powers to regional, ethnically-based authorities/states, allowed to form their own governments. Prior to 1991, the country was divided into 29 administrative units, many derived from historical regions. Now, the country was divided into nine regional states (kililoch, sing. kilil), sixty-eight zones and two chartered cities (astedader akababiwoch, sing. astedader akababi): Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. It was further subdivided into 550 woredas and several special woredas. The EPRDF government adopted a three-tiered governance system consisting of a federal government, regional states, zones and districts (woredas) and neighbourhoods (kabeles). According to the Constitution, Ethiopia comprises the Federal Government and State members. Constitutionally, extensive power is assigned to regional states empowered to establish their own government with legislative, executive, and judicial powers, just as the Federal Government is given powers to establish its own government at the federal government level8. The States respect the powers of the Federal Government and likewise, the Federal Government respects the powers of state members. State government is established at state and other administrative levels - such as zones and districts (woredas) and neighbourhoods (kebeles) – as deemed necessary. The Federal Government may, when necessary, delegate its powers and functions to the States. 41. Although the Ethiopian State has been transformed from a highly centralised system to a federal and increasingly decentralised one, a number of challenges 8 Article 50 (2) states that “The Federal Government and the States shall have legislative, executive and judicial powers” - 51 -