Ethiopia is governed under the constitution of 1994, which provides for a president as chief of state and a prime minister as head of government.
The bicameral parliament consists of the 110-seat Council of the Federation, which represents the ethnic interests of the regional governments, and the 547-seat Council of People’s Representatives, whose members are popularly elected and who in turn elect the president. The prime minister is designated by the party in power following legislative elections.
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 the other federal judges, the prime minister presents candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council to the House of People’s Representatives for appointment.