Article 47
Member States of the Federal Democratic Republic
1. Member States of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia are the
Following:
1) The State of Tigray
2) The State of Afar
3) The State of Amhara
4) The State of Oromia
5) The State of Somalia
6) The State of Benshangul/Gumuz
7) The State of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples
8) The State of the Gambela Peoples
9) The State of the Harari People
2. Nations, Nationalities and Peoples within the States enumerated in sub-Article
1 of this article have the right to establish, at any time, their own States.
3. The right of any Nation, Nationality or People to form its own state is
exercisable under the following procedures:
a. When the demand for statehood has been approved by a two-thirds
majority of the members of the Council of the Nation, Nationality or
People concerned, and the demand is presented in writing to the State
Council;When the Council that received the demand has organized a
referendum within one year to be held in the Nation, Nationality or People
that made the demand;
b. When the demand for statehood is supported by a majority vote in the
referendum;
c. When the State Council will have transferred its powers to the Nation,
Nationality or People that made the demand; and
d. When the new State created by the referendum without any need for
application, directly becomes a member of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia.
4. Member States of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia shall have
equal rights and powers.
Article 48
State Border Changes
1. All State border disputes shall be settled by agreement of the concerned States.
Where the concerned States fail to reach agreement, the House of the
Federation shall decide such disputes on the basis of settlement patterns and
the wishes of the peoples concerned.
2. The House of Federation shall, within a period of two years, render a final
decision on a dispute submitted to it pursuant to sub-Article 1 of this Article.