Crown Council of Ethiopia

Crown Council of Ethiopia
	Royal Coat of Arms
Abbreviation	Crown Council
Founded at	Ethiopian Empire
Type	Community organization; Cultural center
Legal status	Constitutional Body; FormerGovernment-in-exileofEthiopiaandEritrea
Location	United States of America; Alexandria, Virginia;
Region	Ethiopia-Ethiopian Community and Diaspora; Eritrea-Eritrean Community and Diaspora; Habesha Community
Emperor	Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
President	PrinceErmias Sahle Selassie
Website	Official website

TheCrown Council of Ethiopiais acommunity organizationandcultural centerwith the mission of preserving the culture(s) of the formerEthiopian Empire,as well as promoting development and humanitarian efforts. Today, the Crown Council has abandoned its former mission of being aGovernment-in-exile,redefining its role as ahumanitarianandcultural preservationorganization representingEthiopians,Eritreans,and theirdiaspora.It is headquartered in theWashington, D.C. Metropolitan Areain theUnited States,where a large concentration ofEthiopian AmericansandEritrean Americansare located.

It originated as aconstitutional bodywithin theEthiopian Empire,which were appointed by and advised the reigningEmperor of Ethiopia(Ge'ez:ንጉሠ ነገሥት,Nəgusä Nägäst); on occasion, its members acted on behalf of the Crown. After the deposition of the monarchy, the Crown Council of Ethiopia acted as theGovernment-in-exileof theEthiopian Empireonce claiming to be the legitimate government ofEthiopiaandEritrea.On 28 July 2004, the Crown Council abandoned its Government-in-exile status, relinquishing its claim of legitimate governance to the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The CommunistDergdeposed the last Emperor,Haile Selassie Ion 12 September 1974, and dissolved the council. Most members of the council were imprisoned and executed, including its president, PrinceAsrate Medhin Kassa.The Derg announced that the monarchy had been abolished early in the following year. However, in 1993, a new Crown Council — which included several descendants of the late Haile Selassie I — asserted that the title of Emperor of Ethiopia was still in existence, and the Crown Council would act in its interests. Its justification was that the abolition of the monarchy by the Derg was extra-constitutional and carried out illegally.

The FederalConstitution of 1995confirmed the status of the country as a republic, but Ethiopian royalists continue to operate the Crown Council. The Ethiopian government has however continued to accord members of the Imperial family their princely titles as a matter of courtesy. On 16 March 2005, PrinceErmias Sahle Selassiewas reaffirmed by his second cousinPrince Zera Yacobas the President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia. Prince Zera Yacob is considered to be theCrown Princeof Ethiopia.^[1]On July 28, 2004, the Crown Council redefined its role by redirecting its mission from the political realm to a mission of cultural preservation, development and humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia.

President of the Crown Council

Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Emperor
	PrinceKassa Haile Darge (1881–1956)	13 July 1941	16 November 1956	Haile Selassie I
Vacant 1956–1971^[2]
	PrinceAsrate Kassa (1922–1974)	July 1971	12 September 1974
	PrinceErmias Sahle Selassie (1960–)	15 July 1993		PrinceAmha Selassie Zera Yacob Amha Selassie