Subject: - civic
Grade: - 12
Teacher’s Name: - Mr. Dires
Item: - Note
Answers
Civic for grade 12 for lesson-1(week 1)
1. Because democracy is a system of government that practical:-
- Transparency and Accountability
- Constitutionalism
- Multi-party system
- Rule of law
- Independency of Judiciary system etc.
2. Direct
- Implemented in a county with small size population.
- The ancient form of democracy.
- Implemented in election of representative and referendum.
Indirect
- Currently widely used in different countries.
- Exercised by using of representatives.
- Used for countries having extended population size.
3. -The government led by prime minster.
-The prime minister is head of government.
-The president is head of the state.
- The prime Minister must be the member of the legislative body
- Weak check and balance relationship between the organs of the government
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4. – Parliamentary democracy
- Presidential democracy
- Combined /hybrid/ democracy
5. – The government by the president
- The representatives and the president elected separately.
- The president heads the executive
- The representatives heads the legislatives
- Strong check and balance.
6. In presidential democracy?
Lesson - 1
Authority and power
- Authority and power are political concepts related to governance.
- The mode of the application of the two determines the type of government in power
- Authority refers to the legal power vested in a public agency and its members to execute
the functions for which it was organized.
- Power can be defined as the force or the ability to compel others to do what the power
holder desires.
- Depending on how the government applies power and authority in its working, it could
be legitimate or illegitimate.
- Legitimate power and authority of government arises when the government functions
with in the limits given to it by the people, such a type of government is certainly a
democratic one.
- A government can be said to have legitimate power and authority when it receives its
mandate to govern from the people. This government functions within the confines
constitution.
- The constitution, in this case is the free expression of the will of the people.
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- There for the power of the government that arises from a democratic constitution gives
rise to legitimate power and authority.
- When the power and authority of government rest on the foundation of democracy. It is
said to have moral authority over the people.
- Governments which are undemocratic can have power to rule, but this rule is not
legitimate and lacks moral authority.
- Such government can have constitutions but not constitutional rule.
- Thus, the people are their subjects and are denied fundamental democratic rights and
freedom.
- A government which is legitimate respects the rights and freedoms of citizens. Its
functions in transparent manners and with a high sense of responsibility and
accountability.
- The practice of transparency gives citizens the opportunity to know how their
government is doing its job.
- Accountability is instrumental to empower people to check and control their officials.
- Thus, transparency and accountability are tools to check whether the practice of
government officials is in line with or confirms to the limits of the power and authority
given to them.
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Lesson 2
Constitutional rights versus constitutional obligations.
- A constitution is the fundamental law of a country:- it defines:
Social and state organizations
The principles of the electoral system
The structure of government bodies and
The basic right and duties of citizens.
- Citizens have constitutional rights to enjoy for
Ex. citizens right to education, health care and freedom of expression.
- Constitutional obligations are duties citizens have to respect for their own well-
being and that of society.
Ex. Paying tax
- Responding to national emergency calls positively etc
- In a democratic societies the right and obligation that citizens have for the most
part are kept in balance
- As a citizen of this country you have right to enjoy and obligation to observe.
- A democratic system is not possible without a democratic constitution which is an
expression of the will of the people.
- A democratic constitution pause the way for constitutionalism.
- Constitutionalism can be defined as an ideology, which advocates that everything
in a state and every action of the government should be in accordance the rights
and duties of government and other organs of the state and its citizens.
- A democratic constitution clearly stipulates the right and obligations that citizens
and their government have.
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Lesson three
state power distribution in Ethiopia
- Until 1995, Ethiopia was a unitary state
- Today, the country has a federal system of government.
- Most unitary government in the world monopolizes power in the hands of the
executives at the center.
- However, there is little unitary government which are democratic.
Ex. UK
- Where there is a unitary democratic system of government fits.
- When a society is composed of culturally heterogamous groups, due to the desire
to address the cultural differences and promote their development a federal system
of government may be preferred.
- A federal system of government can be organized based on geol. Features (rivers,
mountain chains etc.) or on ethno-cultural back grounds.
- A country with a culturally homogenous population can have territorial based
federation like in Germany.
- The objective of federal administration is to bring people and regions closer to
gather to promote development and crate a political community which is unitary in
spirit.
- The 1995 constitution of the country declared Ethiopia a F.D. Republic with nine
regional states.
- The federal system of government devalues power to the regions to avoid a
monopoly at the center.
- The devolution of power from the center to the regions gives people the right to
exercise power and authority on the one hand and undertake responsibility on the
other.
- The regional states have certain constitutional rights in which the federal
government does not intervene.
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- Their right include:
Having their own constitution together with the FDRE constitution.
Power to run and control FIC, HC and SC
Manage schools and work in accordance with the national program.
Recruit and manage their police force to maintain international security.
Responsible to create enabling conditions for investment.
Exercise
1. Define constitution?
2. Depending the way of exercising power and authority government can be
classified as ________________ and ________________
3. What makes difference between democratic constitution and other forms of
constitution
4. A federal system of government can be organized based on ____
5. List down some of exclusively rights given to the regional states have?
