Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper
chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve
five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower
chamber (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPRDF 327,
CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1,
others 6, undeclared 2
note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated the
rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies

Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the
Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and
appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other
federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's
Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal
Judicial Administrative Council)

Political parties and leaders:
Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's
Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for
Unity and Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawel]; Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance
of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's
Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopean People's
Democratic Front or SEPDF, and TigrAyan Peoples' Liberation Front or
TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo
Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Somali
People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethopian Democratic Forces
or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; dozens of small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National
Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washin