Local government in the Empire of Ethiopia (Italian Empire)

Administrative map of Ethiopia.

Local government in the Empire of Ethiopia is the method of governance of sub-national divisions in Ethiopia. Constitutionally, Ethiopia is an Empire. As such, the reality of the local polities in recognised and integrated within the political system. The Empire is made up of sub-units, either territories or peoples.

The territorial components of the Empire of Ethiopia are principalities, minor lordships, free communities, ecclesiastical territories and Autonomous Cities. Principalities and ecclesiastical territories are subject to the emperor as sovereign but not to the emperor as feudal overlord, while minor lordships, communities and villages are often held as a fief. The polities within the Empire are organised into Provinces.

The Ethiopian Fascist Front consists of nine Fascist parties. The parties are the Oromo Peoples' National Organization (Organizzazione Nazionale dei Popoli Oromo), the Amhara National Fascist Movement (Amharic: የአማራ ብሔራዊ ፋሺስት ንቅናቄ, ye’āmara biḥērawī fashīsiti nik’inak’ē, Italian: Movimento Nazionale Fascista Amhara, M.N.A.), the Southern Peoples' Fascist Federation (Federazione Fascista dei Popoli Meridionali, FE.FA.PO.M.), the Tigrayan Fascist Party (Tigray: የትግራይ ፋሽስት ፓርቲ, yetigirayi fashisiti paritī, TFP; Italian: Partito Fascista Tigrino, P.F.T.), the Afar National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista Afar, P.N.F.A.), the Hareri National League (Lega Nazionale dell'Harar, L.N.H.), the Gambella People's National Movement (Movimento Nazionale Gambella, M.N.G.), the Ogaden People's Party (Partito del Popolo dell'OgadenP.P.O.) and the Benishangul-Gumuz Unity Front (Fronte Unitario Benishangul-GumuzF.U.Be.G.). Each Party has the right to form the government in one or more provinces.

Since the Ethiopian Fascist Front is an umbrella organization of nine ethnic-based Fascist parties that control the Provinces, it exercises effective control over the local government through its affiliated political parties in the Provinces. This party chain of joins (and sometimes tends to replace) state control. Decisions of the party in some sectors are made and implemented using party structures, instead of the state structure. Substantively, the Ethiopian Fascist Front control counters public discourse.

Provinces of Ethiopia

Since 1983, the Empire has been divided into 13 partially autonomous Provinces (ክፍለ ሀገር, Kifile Hāgeri) and three Autonomous Cities (አውራ ከተማ āwira Ketema). The law assigns some powers to Provinces, which establish their own government as long as it is in line with the Imperial government's law. Each Province has at its apex a Provincial Governor and a Council. It is to note that, while the Autonomous Cities are directly ruled by the Imperial Government, the Provinces are groupings of other polities.

The Thirteen Provinces and Three Cities

No.	Coat of Arms	Name	Type	Party	Capital	Governor	Notes
1		Arsi	Province	Oromo Peoples' National Organization	Asella	Gadaa Hirkoa
2		Bale	Province	Oromo Peoples' National Organization	Bale Robe	Merera Gudina
3		Begemder	Province	Amhara National Fascist Movement	Gondar	Mesfin Woldemariam
4		Gamu-Gofa	Province	Ethiopian Fascist Front	Minghi	Italo Pavolini
5		Goggiam	Province	Amhara National Fascist Movement	Debra Marcos	Hailu Shawul
6		Ogaden	Province	Ogaden People's Party	Harar	Alberto Mazzei	Harar is both Ogaden's capital city and an autonomous city of its own.
7		Illubabor	Province	Gambella People's National Movement	Metu	Demeke Mekonnen
8		Caffa	Province	Southern Peoples' Fascist Federation	Bonga	Mazor Bahaina
9		Scioà	Province	Ethiopian Fascist Front	Ancober	Mercha Wolde Kidan
10		Sidama	Province	Southern Peoples' Fascist Federation	Gimma	Mohammad Yayyo
11		Tembien	Province	Tigrayan Fascist Party	Macallè	Paulos Hailemariam	Tigray Province was renamed in 1996 as such.
12		Uolleggà	Province	Benishangul-Gumuz Unity Front	Lechemti	Solomon Molla	Also unofficially known as Welega
13		Uollò	Province	Afar National Fascist Party	Dessiè	Berhane Gebre-Christos	Also unofficially known as Wollo
14		Addis Abeba	City	Ethiopian Fascist Front	–	Giorgio Marri-Crosetto
15		Diredaua	City	Ethiopian Fascist Front	–	Francesco Meazza
16		Harar	City	Ethiopian Fascist Front	–	Marco Saltunni	Harar is both Ogaden's capital city and an autonomous city of its own.

Provincial government

Provinces are granted by the Emperor and by the Imperial Government wide-ranging executive and judicial, but limited normative, powers. The executive cabinet is headed by the Provincial Governor. A Vice Governor substitutes the Provincial Governor in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the Provincial Governor. The other offices in a Provincial Executive Cabinet consist of more than 20 Office leaders, with number varying according the needs; the Security and Legal Affairs Office is held by the Provincial Gendarmerie Commander. The Provincial Council is the consultative body.
There are three levels of the local judiciary. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each lordship maintains its own court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over all justiciable matters. The intermediate-level court system is the courts of appeals, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas. A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is appointed by the Emperor. The highest-ranking court, the Provincial Court, is the court of appeal against the Courts of Appeal in limited matters.

Executive branch

The executive branch is headed by the Governor. The Vice Governor succeeds the Governor in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the Governor. The other offices in the executive branch cabinet are organised as Bureaus. In the territorial Provinces, there are 22 Provincial Offices. The Governor also is the chairman of the Provincial Executive Cabinet.

Provincial Governor

The Provincial Governor is charged with leading the Governing Commission. The Governor's assigned roles are as follows:

• Lead the Provincial Government;
• Sign and convey, within 15 days of their deliberation and approval by the Provincial Executive Cabinet, those proclamations and regulations so that they would be promulgated through the Official Gazzette of the Province and of the Empire;
• Oversee the implementation of policies, regulations, the directives and decisions issued by the central government, as well as the provincial policies;
• Nominate officials intended to lead Provincial Offices to the relevant Minister. The Minister, once vetted the candidate, proposes him to the Emperor of Ethiopia;
• Provisionally assign and employ the above-mentioned office heads;
• Select and appoint other officials of the Provincial Offices;
• Following the compulsory resolution of the relevant Provincial Council, establish official agencies of administrative areas as well as appoint administrators and other branch office heads empowered to represent the provincial government;
• Provide political-administrative guidance and supervise over the Province-wide Gendarmerie established with the view to protecting the security and enforcement of law and order therein;
• Provide leadership to, coordinate and supervise over the activities of subordinate administrative hierarchies within the Province;
• Perform such other functions as may be entrusted to him by the central government and the Province respectively.

Ethiopian Governors bear the title of Lord Governor (Amharic: ከንቲባ, Kantiba).

Vice Governor

The Vice Governor is appointed to the position by the Emperor of Ethiopia and is held accountable to both the Emperor and the Council of Ministers. His duties are to formally represent the Governor in the absence of the latter or is unable to perform his normal duties.

Provincial Executive Cabinet

The Provincial Executive Cabinet in the Provinces (i.e. excluding Autonomous Cities) consists of the heads of 17 Offices and of the Vice-Governor. The Governor chairs the Provincial Executive Cabinet. Offices represented into the Provincial Executive Cabinet are:

• Party's Representative Office: this Office is headed either by the leader of the local Fascist Party or by the representative of the Ethiopian Fascist Front. In Begembder and Goggiam, the representative is proposed by the Amhara National Fascist Movement and appointed by the Ethiopian Fascist Front. In Arsi and Bale, the representative is proposed by the Amhara Oromo Peoples' National Organization and appointed by the Ethiopian Fascist Front.
• National Education Office: this Office coordinates traditional educational system and the Regime youth movements;
  • School Division;
  • Youth movements Division;
  • Sports Division;
  • Vocational training Division;
• Health Office;
• Agricolture Office
  • Land Management and Utilization Division;
  • Agricultural Development Division;
  • Italian Settlement Division;
  • Water and Irrigation Division;
• Energy Office;
• Civil Administration Office
  • Urban Development Division
  • Civil Service Division;
• Security Affairs Office: this Office is headed by the Ethiopian Gendarmerie Provincial Commander;
• Finance Office;
• Culture and Tourism Office;
• Corporatist Affairs Office;
• Revenues Authority;
• Environment, Forest and Wildlife Office;
• Trade, Industry and Market Development Office;
• Rural Road and Transport Office;
• Justice Office;
• Women and Children Affairs Office;
• Propaganda and Communication Affairs Office.

Consultative branch

The Provincial Council is the highest consultative and deliberative body of each Province. The Provincial Council consists of one Councillor every 50,000 inhabitants. Councillors are charged with electing a President amongst themselves and confirming taxes on agriculture and collect royalties for deforestation.

Autonomous Cities

In Ethiopia, three Cities have provincial rank: Addis Abeba, Diredaua, and Harar. As part of the Empire, the central government enacts laws that are binding in the Autonomous Cities. The administration of the Autonomous Cities consists of the Governor, who leads the executive branch, and the City Council, which enacts city regulations.

Members of the City Council are elected by the Corporations of the city. The term of office for elected officials is five years. However, the central government, when it deems necessary, can dissolve the City Council and replace it with a temporary administration. The executive branch under the Governor comprises the City Secretary and various branches of civil service offices.

Awrajja

Within each Province, the traditionally-established ruling families and polities of all types are recognized and protected; where lordships and other polities are too small, they are grouped into Regions (Awrajja). Currently, there are 93 Awrajja, with 35 Lordships and other unitary polities and 58 Regions. The three Autonomous Cities are not considered in the number of Awrajja. Lordships are each governed in autonomy by the relevant lord.

Regions

Regions (Ahmaric: ክልሎች Kililochi, sing. ክልል Kilili; Italian: Regioni, sing. Regione) are administrative subdivisions of the Provinces at the Awrajja level. Differently from Lordships, which are unitary bodies governed by the relevant nobleman, Regions group otherwise independent settlements and polities too small to exist autonomously. Its government is the Regional Administrative Commission (Ahmaric: የክልል አስተዳደር ኮሚሽን yeKilili Āsitedaderi Komīshini; Italian: Commissione Amministrativa Regionale). The administrative commission is dispatched by the provincial government.

Regional Administrative Commission

The Regional Administrative Commission is modelled on the Italian Prefectures. The Regional Administrative Commission also has some very important functions, which include the review of legality and merit on the acts of the territorial authorities and institutions of public welfare and charities and functions of the administrative judge for complaints against administrative decisions of these bodies. The Commissioner under serious circumstance can intervene against suubordinate entities. Usually, natives are appointed and hired as officials.
The bulk of the Regional Administrative Commission consists of the seven hearth offices: the Cabinet and the Divisions (1st to 6th). They deal with the vast majority of the affairs the Commission has to deal with and provide support to the other main offices. The Cabinet of the Commissioner is his staff, coordinated by a Chief of Cabinet; it is in direct collaboration with the Commissioner and assists him in the exercise of his own functions, too detailed and complex to be carried out without high level assistance. The Cabinet is responsible for handling confidential affairs, secretarial issues, economic affairs, labour disputes and control of local authorities. The first division, as well as dealing with affairs not allocated to other divisions, is responsible for administrative matters, order services (related, usually, to the Archive, the library and to the Copy Office), consumption tax of the municipalities and religious affairs (exequatur for the bishops and Islamic authorities, placet for appointments and transfers of priests etc.). The second division has jurisdiction in matters of local government (protection and supervision) and control of the affairs of charities and assistance institutions. These duties involve the responsibility of overseeing the work of the local Party leaders and local administrators, who are often the emanation of the early ones. Therefore, the Second Division is entrusted to officials often more determined and less prone to having fear of political backlash. On the other hand, the Party constantly exercises its influence in order to influence the appointment of the Chief of the Second Division or, at least, of the officials assigned. The third division is responsible for hygiene and health, while the fourth division collects and deals with all matters relating to public works, the roads, the railways, the post office, the telegraphs and telephones and land reclamation. In these areas, the prefecture is flanked, from the technical point of view, by the offices of Civil Engineering Corps. Money flows that are affected by the fourth division make this Division the second most important one, after the second division. The fifth division is dedicated to manage organically peripheral services in the field of both health care and social assistance; finally, the 6th Division deals with public security affairs which are not carried out by the Gendarmerie.

Regional Administrative Commissioner

The leader of the government, titled as Regional Administrative Commissioner, or simply Commissioner (Ahmaric: ኮሚሽነር Komīshineri; Italian: Commissario), is appointed by the provincial Governor. If the government is entrusted to a Military Commissioner, the Officer in charge is usually a Colonel.
Regional Administrative Commissioners are mainly tasked with the implementation of government legislation and decisions, meaning that they are senior members of the Civil Service. Prefects are also tasked with the implementation of any demands of government ministries and of Provincial Governors. In the event that legislation cannot be directly or practically implemented, the Regional Administrative Commissioner is responsible for bringing about the conditions in which new legislation is compatible with their province.
The Commissioner is responsible for public order and security in the province, and directs the implementation of directives adopted in the field, ensuring unity of direction and coordination of tasks and activities of the officers and agents of public security. Finally, he manages the Gendarmerie and other forces may be placed at its disposal. The Commissioner also has responsibilities in the field of civil protection. The Commissioner has the power to adopt urgent measures in order to prevent and eliminate serious threats to public safety, public security or public order.

Lordship

In the Ethiopian Empire, some subdivisions at the Awrajja level are constituted by feudal lordships. These lordships are what remains of the ancient Abyssinian nobility that betrayed Haile Selassie in favor of the Italians.

Of the 93 Awrajja, 34 are feudal lordships. The government of these lordships is entrusted to the local nobleman, with few limitations: he must host a Gendarmerie Command, must establish, finance and maintain a local Fascist Guard Command and must obey the direct orders of the Provincial Governor. The Lordships cannot exercise their authority over Italian settlers; if an Italian village is present within the boundaries of the lordship, the village is directly administered by the relevant Province. However, such cases are extremely rare.

Districts

If necessary, a Region may be subdivided into Districts (Ahmaric: ወረዳ Woreda or Wäräda, Italian: Distretto). In such cases, lordships tend to constitute Districts, but this is not a rule. In other cases, the District is an administrative boundary, intermediate body between the District and the individual polity. If the Lordship constitutes a whole District, the ruling nobleman has the same obligations of the Awrajja-level Lordship.
The District is the decentralization management body of the Regions. The District is the executor of the Commissioner's orders, and its main task is to monitor the political, economic and social environment and transmit information to the Commissioner. The District has the delegated task of supervision and protection of the local authorities. The District presides all procedures relating to conscription and directs, where necessary, the intervention of the armed forces for the service of public security, upon order or authorization of the Commissioner. Finally, it supports the Regional Administrative Commission in the surveillance of public institutions and charities and carries out the functions that may be delegated by the Regional Administrative Commissioner. The Subprefecture also takes care of the preparatory phase of acts that would then be submitted to the decision of the Regional Administrative Commission.
From an organizational point of view, the subprefectures are poorly articulated and are composed of the District Heads and some secretarial employees belonging to the Ministry of the Interior.

Municipality

The Municipality (Italian: Comune; Amharic: ቀበሌ, romanized: kʼebelē; Oromo: Gandaa; Tigrinya: ታቢያ, romanized: tābiyā, lit. 'neighbourhood') is the lowest administrative body with inherent autonomy of the Empire of Ethiopia. It provides many of the basic civil functions. The density of Comuni varies widely by province and region. While provinces and regions are creations of the central government, the natural community is indeed the Muncipality.

Municipalities have to provide for mandatory services and related expenses; on the other hand, they have a limited degree of administrative autonomy, being also in charge of facultative services and related expenses and taxes. As "delegated power", the Municipality may be supported from the central State in expenses and funding.

The administrative organization of the settlements in the Ethiopian Empire reflects the fascist will to ensure domination through centralized management, an organization functional to economic and strategic needs, and a racial segregation that clearly separates the Italian colonists from the local population. The settlements function as administrative, economic and social nodes, and their structure varies according to the strategic importance and size of the locality.

Types of Settlements

The settlements were classified according to their function and size:

• Provincial Capitals;
• Regional Capitals;
• Italian Agricultural Centers:
• Indigenous Villages:

Provincial Capitals

Provincial Capitals are the main cities of the Provinces. The Provincial Capitals are the seat of the Governor and the main administrative offices. They are economic, political and military centers of primary importance.

Regional Capitals

Regional Capitals are smaller settlements that host the offices of the Region and function as secondary administrative centers. They are often located in strategic areas for territorial control.

Italian Agricultural Centres

Italian Agricultural Centres (Centri Agricoli Italiani, C.A.I.) are settlements intended for agricultural colonisation by the Italian settlers. These centres are characterized by Italian settler settlements and agricultural facilities, often accompanied by forced labour camps for indigenous labour. All District Capitals are Italian Agricultural Centres.

The main function entrusted to CAIs is to perform the agricultural colonisation through Italian families who cultivate lands assigned them by the State and carry out the production of agricultural goods. Agricultural centres are also used to ensure Italian control over sparsely populated territories.

Land is divided into agricultural lots assigned to Italian families. Each family receives a plot of land to cultivate on a rotational basis, with state support through the provision of agricultural tools (owned by the Centre consortium), access to local infrastructure, and low-interest loans for agricultural development.

The Agricultural Centres follow a common urban plan. The central area includes the administrative headquarters, the school, the Catholic church, and essential services. Around the central area, the residential neighborhoods for the settlers are built according to European standards. The agricultural area includes cultivated fields and agricultural infrastructure, both private and common.

In each Italian Agricultural Centre, the local population tracks its origins from a single region of Italy. The first generation was incentivised with land and economic support. In larger settlements, there may be indigenous workers, employed for agricultural activities.

The administrative structure of the Italian Agricultural Centers is designed to support the goals of fascist agricultural colonization, which intends to exploit the natural resources of the territory and create a deeply rooted Italian population. These centers represent the hub of agricultural activities and are to integrate the Ethiopian economic system with the metropolitan one. As such, these centres are located in areas considered fertile or strategic for intensive agriculture and livestock farming.

Administrative Commissioner

The Italian Agricultural Centre is governed by the Administrative Commissioner, assisted by the Consultative Council. The Administrative Commissioner is an Italian official appointed by the provincial government, with the task of directing the administration of the center. His responsibilities are those of the Podestà. The Administrative Commissioner also has responsibilities as a Local Authority of Public Security and has limited judicial powers to resolve disputes between settlers and regulate local activities.

The Secretary of the Fascio di Combattimento is the head of the National Fascist Party organization in the Agricultural Centre. He is also the commander of the local Ethiopian Fascist Guard unit: in this capacity, he is a Officer of Public Security.

Agricultural Office

The Agricultural Office is the technical body for the operation of the mandatory agricultural consortium. The Office includes personnel dedicated to land management, resource distribution and monitoring of agricultural production. It often collaborates with officials of the administration of the Province or Region of reference.

Indigenous Villages

The Indigenous Villages (Amharic: ቀበሌ, Kebellè) are areas inhabited predominantly by the local population, with minimal external administration. They are often controlled indirectly through local chiefs or elders under the supervision of higher authorities. Each Village covers a specific geographical area. It is divided into several got (sub-units), which correspond to smaller residential agglomerations.

The Indigenous Village is the direct point of contact between the government and the citizens. Villages play a vital role in local community management, development activities and the promotion of government policies.

The Village carries out basic civil administration tasks, such as registration of citizens, including births, deaths, marriages and authorised migrations, issuing identity documents and other official certificates, as well as being led by higher levels of government for the implementation of national and provincial programs. Identification of vulnerable families and distribution of food aid are government tasks usually entrusted to villages.

The local law enforcement and local security are managed by the village command the Ethiopian Fascist Guard, which may be supported, should the need arise, by other villages or the Awrajja command, as well as the Ethiopian Gendarmerie. Minor disputes are resolved through mediation committees or community elders. Only in cases where a resolution cannot be achieved the dispute is brought to a court.

Villages also promote access to education, health and drinking water, supervise the maintenance of local infrastructure such as roads and water sources and prganise vaccination programs and health campaigns.

Due to the communitarian approach, the Village has a central role in supporting its members in agricultural activities, with the distribution of common resources, the promotion of community development projects, the diffusion of modern agricultural practices through training programs and the mMonitoring of agricultural production and natural resource management

Administration

Each Village has a central administrative office, which serves as a point of reference for official records, council and assembly meetings, and administrative record keeping.

The kebele is governed by administrative bodies that plan, execute and monitor local activities: the Village Committee, the Village Council, and the Village Assembly.
The Village Committee is the main decision-making body, usually composed of 5-7 members, including the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Head of the local fascist party village branch, and heads of key sectors. The Committee supervises the day-to-day activities of the Village and implements decisions made by the Council.
The Village Council is composed of members elected by the local community. It has between 50 and 100 members, depending on the size of the population. It is responsible for supervising administrative activities and local development. Usually the Village Council consists of recognised elders of the community.
The Village Assembly includes all male members of the Village. It meets periodically to discuss important issues and approve development plans or budgets.

See also

• Local government of the Kingdom of Italy
• Empire of Ethiopia (Kingdom of Italy)
• Ethiopian Gendarmerie (Italian Empire)
• Ethiopian Fascist Guard (Italian Empire)
• Ethiopian National Imperial Guard (Italian Empire)