(Sept 05, 2012, VOA)--Ethiopia hopes to witness its first peaceful transition in recent
history, once the new prime minister is sworn in. Two weeks after the
death of former leader Meles Zenawi, it is still unclear when Deputy
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn might take the oath of office as the
country's new leader.
The swearing in ceremony for Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy
Prime Minister Hailemariam Deasalgne was scheduled two days after the
passing of Mr. Meles, but the government felt the nation needed more
time to mourn his death. Opposition Party EDP, Ethiopia’s Democratic Party, is urging the
government move forward with officially making Hailemariam the prime
minister as soon as possible.
“What we have seen in case of other countries like Ghana and Malawi, what they did was as soon as possible they confirmed the reappointment or election of another president before proceeding to the other matters," says Mesfin Mengistu, the EDP secretary general. "Here what we have seen is contrary to that." There has been some confusion about the legal status of Hailemariam -- whether he is acting prime minister or still deputy prime minister. Mesfin says there is an important difference:
“At this particularly, I think the DM is not acting PM," he says. "It was pronounced like that, but later on it was taken back and now the person in charge of the country is the DPM, not the acting PM. That implies to us the person who is ruling the country has no fully placed power to rule the country. That entails a power vacuum which we think that should be filled as soon as possible.”
Government officials could not be reached for comment. However, government spokesperson Bereket Simon had said, after the passing of Meles, that Hailemariam will be the new prime minister until the elections in 2015. “The constitutional proceedings allow us to continue with the deputy prime minister, acting prime minister for now and then he will take off in parliament,” said Simon. Read more from VOA »
Related topics:
Obama Speaks With Acting Ethiopian PM
Hailemariam, Ethiopia’s New Leader
Ethiopia: What Might Desalegn's Premiership Bring?
Ethiopian Actinig PM Hailemariam Desalegn Addresses the Nation
What’s Next for Ethiopia?
The swearing in ceremony for Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy
Prime Minister Hailemariam Deasalgne was scheduled two days after the
passing of Mr. Meles, but the government felt the nation needed more
time to mourn his death. Opposition Party EDP, Ethiopia’s Democratic Party, is urging the
government move forward with officially making Hailemariam the prime
minister as soon as possible. “What we have seen in case of other countries like Ghana and Malawi, what they did was as soon as possible they confirmed the reappointment or election of another president before proceeding to the other matters," says Mesfin Mengistu, the EDP secretary general. "Here what we have seen is contrary to that." There has been some confusion about the legal status of Hailemariam -- whether he is acting prime minister or still deputy prime minister. Mesfin says there is an important difference:
“At this particularly, I think the DM is not acting PM," he says. "It was pronounced like that, but later on it was taken back and now the person in charge of the country is the DPM, not the acting PM. That implies to us the person who is ruling the country has no fully placed power to rule the country. That entails a power vacuum which we think that should be filled as soon as possible.”
Government officials could not be reached for comment. However, government spokesperson Bereket Simon had said, after the passing of Meles, that Hailemariam will be the new prime minister until the elections in 2015. “The constitutional proceedings allow us to continue with the deputy prime minister, acting prime minister for now and then he will take off in parliament,” said Simon. Read more from VOA »
Related topics:
Obama Speaks With Acting Ethiopian PM
Hailemariam, Ethiopia’s New Leader
Ethiopia: What Might Desalegn's Premiership Bring?
Ethiopian Actinig PM Hailemariam Desalegn Addresses the Nation
What’s Next for Ethiopia?
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