Political and Legal Disarrays of Separation of Powers in the Oromia Regional State Structure

Abstract

In principle, a functional division of powers is a prerequisite for limited government. Oromia Regional State, the largest sub-national state in the Ethiopian federation, can exercise upward influence if it develops a limited government with a strong separation of power within its borders. The purpose of this paper is to make an effort to look into the political and legal difficulties that threatened separation of power among the major participants in the region's power dispersion structure. In order to achieve this, the study employed interviews with a few specifically chosen experts and officials from the three arms of regional government, as well as a pertinent literature analysis and personal observation. This led to the discovery that several political and legal constraints significantly restrict the power structure in the region. Ultimately, it was proposed that in order for the area to achieve separation of powers, political players would need to work together to create a political culture that supports constitutionalism and maintain their commitment to the rule of law.

Keywords: Separation of Powers, Check and Balance and Oromia Regional State

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/155-04

Publication date: August 28th 2026