Crown Council of Ethiopia
The Crown Council of Ethiopia was the constitutional body within the Ethiopian Empire, which advised the reigning Emperor of Ethiopia (Ge'ez: ንጉሠ ነገሥት, "Nəgusä Nägäst"). It also acted on behalf of the Crown. The council's members were appointed by the Emperor. The Communist Derg deposed the last Emperor, Haile Selassie I on 12 September 1974, and dissolved the council. Most members of the council were imprisoned and executed, including its president, Prince Asrate 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 Crown Council of Ethiopia acted as Government-in-exile of the Ethiopian Empire (thus claiming Ethiopia & Eritrea). The Federal Constitution of 1995 confirmed 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, Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie was reaffirmed by his second cousin Prince Zera Yacob as the President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia. Prince Zera Yacob is considered to be the Crown Prince of Ethiopia. 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.