Negotiating Identity Politics and Multiculturalism in Ethiopia: Expermenting New Models of Consociational Democracy, Reenginnering of Electoral System and the Constitution

ABSTRACT This paper analyses identity‐based politics and multiculturalism in Ethiopia with the objectives of suggesting various wayouts with the admittance of multicultural statehood of Ethiopia. It is obvious that the world today is trapped with both interstate and intrastate conflict which is characterized by minority groups' increasing demand for recognition of their language, culture and fair representation. And the challenge in Ethiopia is also linked with those multifaceted identities. Today, Ethiopia finds itself with a complicated political crisis and civil war that costs the lives of millions, weak economic performance, low job opportunities and total insecurity motivates the author to make an investigation of identity politics with recommended solutions. With little democratic experience and being of a multi‐ethnic state, well‐designed independent institutions, consensus‐based constitution, adoption of proportional types of electoral system and power sharing (consociational democracy) are required for Ethiopia to transition to democracy and coexist peacefully along all differences.