Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Afrique en ligne) – Ethiopia’s dictator Meles Zenawi said on Friday he was in consultations with his ruling party about the possibility of quitting as Prime Minister and retaining his role as the party leader after next year’s elections.
The Ethiopian Premier, who has been at the helm of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) for the last 18 years, said on Friday that he has had enough and wanted to do something different after the next elections.
Ethiopia is about 15 months away from the next elections, due in 2010.
The Prime Minister says he is considering quitting the post and remaining as party leader (a la Russia’s Putin) if his party members agree to the position, but said he would make a final decision on this later.
“I do not think there is a conflict of policy here. My desire is that I have had enough here and I have to move on. I want to leave this position (Prime Minister) without leaving the party as leader but I have to respect the decisions of the party,” Meles told journalists.
Meles was asked about two conflicting signals he had given about his intentions not to seek a new mandate during the next elections in 2010. He said his personal decisions not to seek the post of Prime Minister must be balanced by the party position.
The EPRDF says it has yet to decide on who would be the next leader but the party has begun the search for a new leader of the party. The party sources say they are looking for the “new face of Ethiopia” if the current premier insists on not running for the post.
“I cannot be a member of the party and not respect its decisions. My open decision is that there will be no conflict between my position and that of the party. If there is a conflict, I will have the freedom to chose but I will try to resolv e the differences,’ the PM said.
Meles said among his major achievements were leading the Ethiopian transition process from military rule to a democratic system that employs a parliamentary system of leadership.
The PM said he was glad Ethiopia’s transition from military rule to democracy did not suffer from setbacks such as those witnessed in Eastern Europe.
He said Ethiopia had transformed its political system to a full democracy, despite certain limitations the three arms of government still suffered.
He also said Ethiopia’s move from economic stagnation to rapid growth was equally an achievement during his tenure as Prime Minister. [This guy doesn’t get tired of lying. Ethiopia under the Woyanne rule remains one of the poorest countries in the world where millions of children do not have enough food to eat and have no access to school.]
“We took Ethiopia into one of the seven few elite states with a higher economic growth rate in the world, that is an achievement,” Meles, who holds a record as one of the few African leaders to conduct regular press interviews, told a three-hour long briefing.
He said under his rule, steps to fight corruption had also been initiated but expressed disappointment at some very lenient sentences that some people charged with corruption were getting away with. [Meles and his wife, Azeb Mesfin, are thought to be the most corrupt politicians in Africa who amassed incredible wealth in the past two decades.]
35 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s dictator Meles Zenawi plans to quit in 2010”
Whow will the next PM? they will put Girma Biru and he will be still under Meles Zenawi ( Like Putin and Medwediv)
zenawi ‘the butcher of Addis’ is not going to be free even if he is leaving his position.
He is and always will accountable for crimes againist humanity.
Death to the monister.
This is vietnam style. The party secretary in any minstry gives orders to the minister. In the same way, Melles has now devised a new tactic such that he will stay as EPRDF chairman and put either Girma Birru or Addissu Legesse as a puppet PM and gives a day-to-day order what to do, what to speak and what to sign.
Amazing!
Not so bad by African standard.
So far the best by Ethiopian standard.
I don’t know any Ethiopian leader who left office and stayed at home be it Putin style or Bush style.
I am looking forward to events unfold at home.
If the butcher is lucky enough, he will be landing on The Hague.
Otherwise he will be withering away by his inside opponents of Tplf rivals. Wait & see.
Staying as a chairman of Eprdf means to be nominated as a prime Minister. So here he is deceiving the audience by using cunning words.
Whether he stays as a prime minister or Eprdf leader, there is no change at all on the content of governance.
If the true opposition parties dedicate themselves to a fresh change in the society, they should struggle vigorously to replace evil by good.
The swapping of individuals would not materialise.
A new system based on consensus and understanding should emerge to save the nation from corruption, hoarding of wealth, monopoly of power and money by small disliked Tplf-narrow ethnic group.
I do not trust his quitting; there are many evil-doers among the Eprdf gangs, if not worst evil-doers. There are many outside the Eprdf and inside the Eprdf who are thirsty of power. Those guys are yearning to Meles removal, not the Ethiopian people.
The Ethiopian people wish a government based on rule of law, accountability, democracy, sovereignty and unity.
Bravo Meles!!!
Lij Elias this is a good move by Meles. Therefore one has to appreciate it. We shouldn’t always be against any move. It may open a new Era after 2010 in Ethiopian history.
Bravo Mele.
“We took Ethiopia into one of the seven few elite states with a higher economic growth rate in the world, that is an achievement,”
Any one out there who knows who Meles is really talking about? The Ethiopia we know is still destitute, hungry and disease infested under his leadership. If he is talking about Tigray, that could make a sense.
Just like his big lie above, he is also telling us he has enough of being Prime Minister. The other lie is hang around and be party leader. Why does he not tell us he had enough of telling lie the Ethiopian people and the rest of the world and quit the job. That could make a lot sense.
Melese, the Ethiopian people are not oly tired of your leadership but also had enough of you and your lie.
Don’t fool your selves. Meles will never quit politics. He has been a political animal his whole life.
What he is likely to do is practicethe Putin option. As in Russia, Meles will have a puppet to be Prime Minister, while he controls the strings of power from behind whatever his new position will be.
The other option is for him to say that the party is forcing him to run again, so he has no choice but….
Whatever he does, Meles is a war criminal and he must brought to justice and not be allowed to rehabilitate his image through propaganda.
You may succeed fooling half of the foreigners & none of the locals!
We call Meles not as a single person, but as a group of peoples who support and give the PM advices to do the unprecedented crimes on Ethiopian peoples. So there is no doubt that Meles will quit after choosing his best beast to take his place, and can that solve the Ethiopia’s critical problems which has been brought by this group? I leave the answer for Ethiopians.
Soon or later Meles will be removed from power.
It is very doubtful that he would leave his position. He will make sure that his party will insist on him to continue with his position. He then will say “I wanted to quit but I will respect my party’s decision.” He is stuck to his position like a “mezzger.” The cow needs to be given some sort of medicine to kill her parasite from inside. Not Shaabia, from outside. Hell with Shaabianists!
Eyasu replies:
May 19th, 2012 at 1:06 AM
You got it right. Zenawi actually did answred the same question to aljezira before the last election. Even he said, evenif the party say yes, it will not be in my interest. He is lier. Things are very hard for him right now, but he prove his lie soon like last time. You can listen it on youtube. Dictators never give power to anyone. Zenawi is a born lier. Shame to his supporters!
We should never stop for a minute to dismantle his dictatorship for ever. No free freedom.
Some talks as if he gives power. He will never do it. Muslims, christians,teachers,students,his own party people are all saying no to him… He want to buy time like 2005 election.
Everybody say beka zare not after a year.
What surprises me and many other Ethiopians on this news is that the implicit message of Meles is that he is going to run and will not quit. Knowing Meles for the last 18 years, no one should be confused about his intentions. He will stay in power until he is forced out by the Ethiopian people.
The decisive decision of the International Court at Hague to bring Al Bashir to face justice for the genocide he has committed to his own people has dramatically shaken Meles Seitanawi (Zenawi). The killings of thousands of Ethiopians and the recent discovery of mass grave near Kaliti Jail has put great pressure on Meles to leave his post and run away to another country.
How does he know his party will win in the next election, and for him to say he would be as a party leader? Doesn’t this show he is determined to again steal and win the 2010 election?
His consideration of quitting his post as a prime minister is commendable, but remaining in another form of leadership shows how greedy he is for political power.
When he said: “…I have had enough…” it seems he is tired of politics, wealth, wine, women, and the rest of the pleasures of this evanescent world, so he may abandon everything and leave for one of the monasteries in Ethiopia. The Tigreans are famous in ignoring the pleasure of the world and in becoming monks and nuns and in flooding the Ethiopian monasteries and Churches. They prefer to be angels and saints to becoming governors, generals, and prime ministers. But Meles is an exceptional individual and unpredictable person, and no one knows whether he stays in power or leave it to one of his friends. Or he may just prefer to live like Al Amoudi, contributing some of his wealth to political organizations and becoming the manager of a big hotel or tourist industry.
Does Meles really respect the decisions of his political party, and if his political party decided to strip him of his power, will he abide by that decision, or wage war against his party to regain his power?
In his political speech, he has said nothing about the opposition party; he has been talking just about one political party – EPRDF – a corrupt and a murderer party.
If a country is governed by just one party without the other, how can one say that country is a democratic country? Meles continues to believe in one political party system.
Even though Meles took power from Mengistu Haile Mariam by force, he has completely failed to democratize Ethiopia and has put the country into the most backward state in all areas: has he improved the education system, the health care system, the transportation system, the housing problems, the court systems, and the problems that exist between the two Churches – the diaspora Church and the Meles Church in Ethiopia?
Since he has been in power for almost 20 years, he has created ethnic divisions in the country; he has completely destroyed the old history of the country and replaced it with a history of theft, greed, and hopelessness.
In reality, Meles has achieved something important and tangible for himself, not for the country as a whole: he has sent his children abroad for higher education; he has built palace-like houses in Addis Ababa, Mekelle, Rome, London, Washington, and many other cities all over the world. He has amassed millions of Ethiopian money for two decays and invested the money in the Swiss Bank.
Finally he may have tried, as he attests, to fight corruption in his government; however, as the Apostle Paul once said: “…you then who teach your fellow man, do you refuse to teach yourself? You who cry out against stealing, are you yourself a thief.” (Romans 2:21)”
We know Meles and his wife Azeb Mesfin have stolen millions of Ethiopian money in various forms: land sale, house rent, ownership of huge companies, and ownership of hotel, motel, and robbery of banks, churches, and possession of illegal properties. So, who is this Meles who claims he has committed himself to irradiate corruption from his country, while he himself is a thief and a corrupt dictator?
What the Ethiopian people are asking is not who the PM is, but which party. What ever cover they are using TPLF leaders (collectively and individually) remain responsible for the crimes they have been committing, since they took power. Girma Biru will be named the next PM, but he is nothing more than TPLF puppet, and nothing will change.
SAME LIKE RUSSIA
He shouldn’t even think about staying in Ethiopia. If he stays against the will of Ethiopians as he did in past the people will also be prepared to capture and bring him to justice. Only that time he will stop joking!
How can a normal person say this after Violating the countr’s territorial integrity, slaughtering the people, looting, insulting, impoverishing, torturing and inprisoning, millions of innocent Ethiopians? Together with the peace loving international community we are confident that we will capture and get him to court!
YANDUN LIB ANDU GEBTO BIYBET
SINT GUDAGUD BETGENGEBET!!
Libma
belive me this guy will never leave his post………….we will see it…….eyamtata new………lenegeru gulicha bilewawet wet ayatafitim aydel yemibalew……….
It is a lie. He will not quit as a prime minister in the true sense of the word.
Also, if you carefully read his statements, he seems to be preparing the ground that he is going to continue as the prime minister because the party chose him so. He is preparing the ground to be elected as prime minister or be charge of the party a la Putin of Russia. This last one is a remote possibility as to compared the first one. EPRDF as we know it would collapse without the iron grip of Meles Zenawi and he knows it.
Negatu
Gebremichael, you’re absolutely right on! It’s another ploy to deceive the Ethiopian people. The Ethiopian people are far too wise to be fooled by another woyane trickery. As they say, ye gulicha meqeyayer weT ayaTafiTim!
It is the continuation of the drama and he resumes lying. He has more to kill, may be Millions or a lot to steal and plunder …………………….
Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia), 1991-Today
* Total Deaths Responsible For: Upwards of 1,000,000 through genocidal wars he conducted in the Ogaden and Gambella regions of Ethiopia; death by disease in concentration camps; blockade of food; ordering the shooting of unarmed pro-democracy protesters; deploying human wave tactics in the war with Eritrea; invasion of Somalia where over 10,000 Somalis slaughtered, countless died of starvation and disease, over 2 million became homeless.
someone from TPLF will be in charge under the foots of Meles. No one from other co parties will take the seat. weyane wont give any chance for any of the member parties in EPDRF to take the PM place. Someone who is a puppet will take a place and Meles will move the country with the remote control. What a country! ferdobeshale
I think Meles heard about the $5,000,000 deal for African leader who leaves his power peacefully, S he will take the $$$ and still have the power behind the show and the thrusted opposition leader will be in power executing Meles’s agenda
As I recall Meles used the same “YeArrada Cholenet” last time as well. “I have had enough, ‘ll not run for election again unless my Party will not permit me to quit”. What is mind boggling is not only his sophomorish diatribe, but the gullibility of the audience to be spending so much time discussing his intention beyond reminding him that we have heard this before.
I’m not an Ethiopian but a friend of Ethiopia and Eritrea,I would say.We should take things in perspective.Any thing that we say is relative. The only question I have about the PM is as stated above his possible involvement in the deployment of human wave tactics during the Ethio-Erit border war. But again how many of you showed any discontentment to that? None, not you Ethiopians nor any one from the international body. None. The Erit leader is equally responsible for the human loss of that avoidable war. They both could be charged for their actions against humanity just like that of the Sudanese president. But isn’t it true that the PM was really against the Border War? So may be he can be accused of “2nd degree murder” May be. History is not selective. His great achievements of democracy and great economy is commendable. His blunder in Somalia and refusal of not accepting the EEBC decision are two black chapters in his biography. But compared to the Erit leader he sure shines like the sun. The fact that Ethiopians, despite his achievemnts demand for more, shows that they have become so politically mature as a result of democracy. You don’t believe me ? Just look at the people to the north.
People calm down please: this midget ugly creature will never leave Ethiopian people alone. He always had a dream: A DREAM OF ONES UPON A TIME WHEN HE COMES TO ADDIS THAT HE WILL DISMANTLE EHTIOPIA AND ETHIOPIANS WITH IN AND OUT. His mission had not been accomplished yet! he say I will quit to appease his donors and the peasants of Ethiopia but that is it. If this guy and his mafia family has to leave the Ethiopians alone they must be brought and changed by force; otherwise the whole hoopla of what Legesse is nothing but hoopla. Can you picture as to what these crime family would do or where they will go after all these crimes against the whole people of Ethiopia and the whole region. Calm down people! LET THE ETHIOPIAN PEASANT AND HOSTAGES BELIEVE WHAT EVER COMES OUT OF THIS FEALTHY MOUTH!
Joe, we do not need your explanation about the politcal developments in Ethiopia. We know what TPLF did to us (may be with your ….?) I think you are living somewhere in peace and want to play down the mass killings, torture, lootings and other unbelievable human right violations. It is also surprising that you are mixing issues with Eritea. Leave us alone!! We know what to do and why we do it. Do you speak a little bit Amharic. If not find a translator for the following saying:
YALOLDKUT LIJI ABABA BILENGE
AFEN DABA DABA ALEGNE
Say no more. Thank you!!
I say to this lier, Meles, you cann´t fool us as you have always tried. Don´t worry, Meles,the ethiopian people will help you in qiting your distructive evil job soon. Then you will certainly get what you diserve for your 18 years tyranny & TPLFs genocide the people of ethiopia
Mr. Fletcher
I don’t think you are a friend of the people of the Horn of Africa, may be you are trying to cover-up for the crimes of Meles, committed on the people of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. You are confusing facts about the Bademe war. Yes it could have been avoided, but when one crazy person rushed to war instead of sitting down and seek peaceful solutions, there is nothing a rational person can do. It is Meles who declared the war and not Isaias. You can not blame “the human-wave” military tactics on “Isaias”, those human waves were sent to kill the Eritrean people. I am sure you know “Self Defense”. The man who sent them knowing they will die is to be blamed. The war in Somalia also could have been avoided, but again your friend Meles rushed to war on Christmas Day with gift of bullets to the children of Somalia. Ethiopian leaders for centuries rushed to war because they don’t think the life a poor soldier worth anything dead or alive. They say “Gala bimot Gala yetekal”.
I have read all of the responses by my fellow brothers and sisters and am in agreement with most of what you guys said. i would add that we will not watch Meles playing with our people while we sit here on our big asses and do nothing but talk, i say we come up with something that would make the people of our home country stand up against his evil and selfish government. A true ruler does not tell the people one thing and does another behind their backs, we my brother and sisters i say that he is a lying whore.
i would say that Meles is up to something, why would he give up his power after 18 years of ruling Ethiopia just like that? He calles himself the PM but really he is the brain that moves the parts. My brothers and sisters, we are living here in a country that is full resources, so i say lets do something that would make our people in Ethiopia rise up against his lying government. My hope is that the people of our home country find the power to get rid of Meles and with god’s power to find a ruler who is for justice and who brings the people first before himself.
No body misses him bar those who are kissing his ass.
It would not be surprising if he says ´I have had enough´ after this all wealth and blood. The swis bank in its secret report in September has prized meles and his wife Azeb for thier joint money which they both robbed from the poor Ethiopian farmer suffering endless hunger, impovershiment and inhumanity. Now or then, Meles should face charge and serve in prison. Whoever comes to the thrown where he has been playing on and for, as long as the beast of beasts is there, change remains dream. But one thing is there always true. Nomatter how long it takes to flush out these narrow minded and self centered beasts, the future is bright with Ethiopians.
Dearest all,
I am writing this letter in response to our friend Mr./Mrs. Assta B. Gettu’s letter
I have observed that some people are still worked up and unable to see things as they are.In fact there are also genius ones who wrote for and against the continuation of H.E Meles.
I have thoroughly dealt with one article as an example (Mr./Mrs. Assta B. Gettu) and found out that it lacks substance and supporting data for its conclusion.
“the International Court at Hague to bring Al Bashir to face justice for the genocide he has committed to his own people”. There seems to be some sort of hastiness in this argument for the following reasons:
1. what solid data do you have to say that he has committed genocide?
2.African union and almost all member countries have stood against this accusation. Do you think all African countries do commit genocide? If yes, you got to wash your cerebrum.
3.There is poor analogy in this argument: has there been any genocide in Ethiopia and possibly in the last 18 years? NO::
“How does he know his party will win in the next election” Well, he is a politician, in fact an economist, agriculturalist, doc, bla bla…. as he has the mental foundation in all areas. Owing to his being politician, he has to forecast based on the good things he (party) is doing to his people that he will definitively will win the next election.
“His consideration of quitting his post as a prime minister is commendable, but remaining in another form of leadership shows how greedy he is for political power.” How did you know he will remain in another form of leadership?
But remember he is a fighter(tagay), so he should obey what ever his party assigns him to do.
AS to the things you interrogated: like has he improved the education ….? I leave the answer to my Ethiopian people.If you are mentally damned and blind, i am sorry I can’t help you understand.
Can’t you count the number of schools, universities, children going to school….Do u understand mathematics?
And he is not responsible to reconcile the church conflict and other things: he has once given full freedom to people to follow what ever they think is good for them. Be it a stone, Tree, God or what ever…
“he has sent his children abroad for higher education; he has built palace-like houses in Addis Ababa, Mekelle, Rome, London, Washington, and many other cities all over the world”
I don’ think he did this all but I will be happy if he did the first thing to his children (only if they want it)
Tell me the name of the palace like houses he made in Addis and Mekelle because i can check these easily?
Otherwise you are a complete prevaricator.
“We know Meles and his wife Azeb Mesfin have stolen millions of Ethiopian money in various forms: land sale, house rent, ownership of huge companies, and ownership of hotel, motel, and robbery of banks, churches, and possession of illegal properties.”
You think he thinks as little as this!!! You think he had the time to deal with land sale and other rudimentary things? When shall he read??????? The best quality that our prior rulers have lacked.
All in all, there seems to be a sort of misunderstanding or else black hatred (with out logical reasoning!)
As to the Q who will replace Meles, well, his party has to worry about this. But it will be a big challenge to the coming PM, cuz the people of ethiopia have been addicted to Melse’s wise and laconic speeches. He is a man who has sacrificed his life to the poor nation and its people: and yet it is amazing to see his vision coming true. Nowadays we are observing farmers and other small enterprise owners growing to millionaires.
God bless Ethiopia
God bless the double minded man (referrence: Embekey of South Africa)