PART ONE
THE HOUSE OF PEOPLES’ REPRESENTATIVES
Article 54
Members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives
1. Members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives shall be elected by the
People for a term of five years on the basis of universal suffrage and by direct,
free and fair elections held by secret ballot.
2. Members of the House shall be elected from candidates in each electoral
district by a plurality of the votes cast. Provisions shall be made by law for
special representation for minority Nationalities and Peoples.
3. Members of the House, on the basis of population and special representation
of minority Nationalities and Peoples, shall not exceed 550; of these, minority
Nationalities and Peoples shall have at least 20 seats. Particulars shall be
determined by law.
4. Members of the House are representatives of the Ethiopian People as a whole.
They are governed by:
a. The Constitution;
b. The will of the people; and
c. Their Conscience.
5. No member of the House may be prosecuted on account of any vote he casts
or opinion he expresses in the House, nor shall any administrative action be
taken against any member on such grounds.
6. No member of the House may be arrested or prosecuted without the
permission of the House except in the case of flagrante delicto.
7. A member of the House may, in accordance with law, lose his mandate of
representation upon loss of confidence by the electorate.
Article 55
Powers and Functions of the House of Peoples’ Representatives
1. The House of Peoples’ Representatives shall have the power of legislation in
all matters assigned by this Constitution to Federal jurisdiction.
2. Consistent with the provision of sub-Article 1 of this Article, the House of
Peoples’ Representatives shall enact specific laws on the following matters: