DOI: 10.11648/j.scidev.20260703.13 ISSN: 2994-7154

Gadaa as a Model of Democratic System: The Peaceful Transfer of Power (Alangee) of Tulama Oromo

Megersa Abdi
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The Gadaa system of the Oromo people represents one of the world's most enduring and sophisticated indigenous democratic governance systems. This article examines the recent peaceful transfer of the Alangee (ceremonial baton of authority) from the 70th Gadaa leader, Abbaa Gadaa Goobana Hoolaa (Gadaa Meelbaa cycle), to the 71st Abbaa Gadaa of the Tulama Oromo, Geetuu Taliilaa (Gadaa Muudanaa cycle), which occurred at the sacred site of Ardaa Jilaa Dhaka Koraatti in June 2026. Drawing on documentary analysis and scholarly literature on the Gadaa system, this study analyzes the democratic principles embedded in the Gadaa system, particularly its mechanism for peaceful power transfer, term limits, checks and balances, and popular participation. The findings demonstrate that the Gadaa system offers valuable lessons for contemporary democratic governance, including the routinization of peaceful succession, the separation of powers, accountability mechanisms, and the subordination of rulers to customary law (Seera). The article argues that indigenous governance systems like Gadaa should be recognized not as relics of the past but as living democratic traditions that can inform and enrich modern political practice in Ethiopia and beyond. By engaging critically with questions of power, legitimacy, and the limitations of liberal democratic frameworks, this study contributes to decolonial political theory and offers a theoretically grounded analysis of how indigenous institutions address the universal problem of constraining political authority.

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