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Ethiopia The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
On September 10, 1987, after thirteen years of military
rule, the nation officially became the People's Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) under a new constitution
providing for a civilian government. The PMAC was abolished,
and in June of that year Ethiopians had elected the National
Shengo (National Assembly), a parliament. Despite these
changes, members of the now-defunct Derg still ran the
government but with different titles. For example, the
National Shengo elected Mengistu to be the country's first
civilian president; he remained, however, the WPE's general
secretary. Other high-ranking Derg and WPE members received
similar posts in the new government, including the Derg
deputy chairman, Fikre-Selassie Wogderes, who became
Ethiopia's prime minister, and Fisseha Desta, WPE deputy
general secretary, who became the country's vice president.
Despite outward appearances, little changed in the way the
country was actually run. Old Derg members still were in
control, and the stated mission of the WPE allowed continued
close supervision by the government over much of the urban
population. Despite the granting of "autonomy" to Eritrea,
Aseb, Tigray, Dire Dawa, and the Ogaden, the 1987
constitution was ambiguous on the question of selfdetermination for national groups such as the Eritreans,
except within the framework of the national government. And
although the constitution contained provisions to protect
the rights of citizens, the power of peasant associations
and kebeles was left intact.
Data as of 1991
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