Ethiopia party divided on Zenawi successor
IN SUMMARY U-turn. The top ruling party organ appeared to contradict the Cabinet’s original decision and state media have dropped references to Mr Hailemariam as prime minister-designate. In a sign of a growing internal power struggle, Ethiopia’s ruling party has further delayed choosing its new leader, further extending the process of choosing the prime minister for the country. Executive council members of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in a closed-door meeting early this week, failed to agree on election procedures for the new party leader, exposing the divide among the ruling elite. Former party leader and country’s prime minister, Meles Zenawi died in a Brussels hospital on August 20. Mr Meles had also been the chairman of the powerful Tigrian People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), one of the four ethnic-based parties in the coalition. Following his death, Ethiopia’s cabinet endorsed his deputy, Mr Hailemariam Desalegn, as acti