(Sept 03, 2012, iOL)--New Ethiopian leader Hailemariam Desalegn,
relatively little-known and long overshadowed by his late mentor Meles
Zenawi, faces tough challenges at home and in the volatile Horn of
Africa. In a rare peaceful handover of
power for Ethiopia, former water engineer Hailemariam, 47, takes over as
interim leader from Meles, who had ruled with an iron fist since
toppling dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
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PM Hailemariam Desalegn (2011 photo)
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In a country long dominated by its
major ethnic groups - most recently the Tigray people, like Meles -
Hailemariam notably comes from the minority Wolayta people, from the
Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, where he was
president for five years.
A close ally of Meles as deputy prime minister
and foreign minister since 2010, Hailemariam was elected deputy chair of
the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF), after the party's fourth win, a landslide victory in
2010.
But within the EPRDF, some of the
most influential figures hail from the northern Tigray region, members
of Meles's ex-rebel group turned political party, the Tigrayan People's
Liberation Front (TPLF). Analysts have suggested that
several others are still jostling for power behind closed doors in the
often secretive ruling coalition, even if in the open they are not
taking part in the running for the top job of prime minister.
Hailemariam, while a protege of Meles, is
therefore seen as an outsider by some, although many expect an outwardly
smooth transition with little change in policy. “Many see (Hailemariam) as a
figurehead, part of a gesture by Meles and the ethnic Tigrayans to give
more prominence to other ethnic groups,” said Jason Mosley of Britain's
Chatham House think-tank.
Government spokesman Bereket Simon
has said Hailemariam will remain in the post until national elections
in 2015, although formally he must be selected by the ruling party,
which holds all but one of the parliament's 547 seats. But the International Crisis Group
(ICG) think-tank suggests Hailemariam's appointment may be “window
dressing, designed to placate potential critics, while the Tigrayan TPLF
elite keep real power.”
Hailemariam - in Ethiopian
tradition, known by his first name, meaning “the power of Saint Mary” -
is also a Protestant, the first to lead Ethiopia, and unlike the
majority of Ethiopia's Christians, who follow Orthodox traditions. But others say Hailemariam's position outside the Tigray power base could in fact prove a strength. Read more from iOL »
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