Monday, September 10, 2012

Ethiopia faces dangers and opportunites By William Lloyd-George (Time) | September 10, 2012


Nibret’s anxiety over life without Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died August 20 from an undisclosed illness after ruling Ethiopia for 21 years, is echoed across the sprawling capital. “Meles was our hero, he kept the bad people in government under control, and developed our county enormously,” says a taxi driver.
Hailemariam Desalegn, originally an civil engineer, had been a trusted aide to Meles, who it was widely believed was grooming Hailemariam to succeed him. The move would have marked a breakwith tradition, since the country’s political elite under Meles has been dominated by ethnic Tigrayans whereas Hailemariam is Woylata and was not part of the TPLF. Also, Hailemariam is a Protestant rather than an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian like Meles and most of the party elite. While ethnic leaders representing most ethnic groups have been brought into the EPRDF, analysts say there is a potential for social tension if the party remains dominated by Tigrayans, who comprise 6.1% of the total population. Some believe Meles chose Hailemariam to avoid the risk of reproducing Tigrayan domination, and also in response to pressure from international donors to diversify the leadership of the EPRDF. With Meles gone, however, local commentators speculate that a Tigrayan elite within the ruling party may seek to maintain their dominance by blocking Hailemariam from taking over.


ETHIOPIAN NEW YEAR