Crown Council of Ethiopia
| Crown Council of Ethiopia | |
|---|---|
.svg.png) | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
|
Prince Ermias Sahle Selassiea | |
| Footnotes | |
| a: Since 16 March 2005. | |
The Crown Council of Ethiopia was the constitutional body which advised the reigning Emperor of Ethiopia (Amharic: ንጉሠ ነገሥት, Nəgusä Nägäst), and acted on behalf of the Crown. The council’s members were appointed by the emperor.
The Communist Derg deposed the last emperor, Haile Selassie I on 12 September 1974, and dissolved the Council. Most members of the Council were imprisoned and executed, including its president, Prince Asrate Medhin Kassa. The Derg announced that the monarchy had been abolished early in the following year. However, in 1993 a Crown Council of Ethiopia, which included several descendants of Haile Selassie I, asserted that the title of Emperor of Ethiopia was still in existence, and the Crown Council would act in its interests. Its justification was that the abolishment of the Monarchy by the Derg was extra-constitutional and carried out illegally.
The Federal Constitution of 1995 confirmed the imperial abolition, but Ethiopian royalists continue to operate the Crown Council. The Ethiopian government has however continued to accord members of the Imperial family their princely titles as a matter of courtesy. On 16 March 2005, Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie was reaffirmed by Prince Zera Yacob as the President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia. Prince Zera Yacob is considered to be the Crown Prince of Ethiopia.[1] On July 28, 2004, the Crown Council redefined its role by redirecting its mission from the political realm to a mission of cultural preservation, development and humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia.