Vertical division of power is the essence offederalism. In this qualitative dissertation, the authorrninvestigates the state of vertical division of political power in the Ethiopian Federation. Thisrnwork was guided by the assumptions and principles of the Critical Paradigm. Sources of primaryrndata were mainly interviews and documents. The main research question addressed by this workrnis "whether vertical division of political power in the Ethiopian Federation is s!ifjering fromrnconstitutionally unwarranted centripetal and centrijilgal tendencies and moves or not". Tornconcretely investigate the state of vertical division of political power in the EthiopianrnFederation, key areas of vertical division of power are selected and examined in both theO/y andrnpractice. The specific themes examined include Selt:determination, Federal Intervention, PolicernPower Division, Land Administration, Mobility and Related Rights, and Language Policy.rnMoreover, aspects of the Ethiopian federal arrangement that have an impact on the state ofrnvertical division of political power including the prevailing nomenclature of the Federation andrnthe electoral system are investigated. The laws governing almost all the themes of verticalrndivision o.l political power discussed in this work have serious gaps. However, the practicalrnchallenges witnessed in the areas of language policy and land administration are caused only torna limited ex/ent by an absence of clarity of division of mandates between the FederalrnGovernment and the state governments. On language policy issues, the constitutional stanceitself is part of the problem. On land administration, the lack of adherence to the division ofrnpower, as provided in the Constitution, is an integral element of the challenges witnessed in thernarea. Overall, whereas constitutionally unwarranted centripetal tendencies prevail over FederalrnIntervention, Police Power Division, Land Administration, and Language Policy, centrilugalrntendencies prevail in the areas of Self-determination and Mobility and Related Rights. In thisrnwork, it is shown that centripetal and centrijilgal tendencies and moves result in violations ofrnindividual and group rights besides challenging the stability of the Federation.