The Place of Customary and Religious Laws and Practices in Ethiopia: A Critical Review of the Four Modern Constitutions

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine the place of customary and religious laws and practices in the Ethiopian constitutions. To this end, the study made comparison as to the place of those elements in the four constitutions, thereby implying the changes and continuities. As a result, the study shows that the 1995 FDRE constitution better incorporated the customary and religious laws and practices as compared to other constitutions. The 1987 PDRE constitution is also relatively good compared to the 1931 and 1955 Imperial constitutions in terms of recognizing those elements in a way that can ensure equality of all sections of the society.