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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Oct 06 2010 - 10:30:11 EDT
Ethiopia reshuffle boosts Meles power: opposition
Tue Oct 5, 2010 4:40pm GMT
* Opposition, analysts say PM consolidates position
* Several major cabinet posts remain unchanged
* Opposition says new ministers the "same breed"
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
appointed a new cabinet on Tuesday in a post-election reshuffle that the
opposition and analysts said would further cement his position.
Meles, in power since 1991, was sworn in as prime minister by parliament on
Monday after a disputed May 23 vote gave his Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and allies 545 seats in the 547-seat
parliament.
A European Union observer mission criticised the election and the United
States said it failed to meet international standards. Demands by opposition
parties for a rerun were rejected by the Horn of Africa nation's electoral
board and by its Supreme Court.
The most high-profile cabinet change was the retirement of Foreign Minister
Seyoum Mesfin, who had been in the post for 19 years. He was replaced by
former government whip and advisor to the prime minister, Hailemariam
Desalegn, seen as a Meles loyalist. Hailemariam will also serve as Deputy
Prime Minister.
"They just changed the old horses and replaced them with the same breed,"
Beyene Petros, spokesman for the biggest opposition party, Medrek, told
Reuters. "People like Hailemariam are the 'yes people' who have not shown
any independence or creativity. They just follow the party line."
Other senior ministers stepping down include Minister for Trade and Industry
Girma Birru and Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse.
"OMNIPRESENT POWER"
The top jobs in the finance, defence, justice, health, education,
agriculture and federal affairs ministries are all unchanged. New appointees
to other ministries were mostly drawn from the ranks of state ministers and
senior officials.
"It seems that Meles now has more or less omnipresent power, as there seems
to be no one in cabinet who has the status and experience to challenge him
on policy development," Kjetil Tronvoll, Ethiopia analyst at the
International Law and Policy Institute, told Reuters.
The Mines and Energy Ministry has been split in two, with Sinkenesh Ejgu
heading up the new Mines Ministry in a country being explored for deposits
by foreign oil and gas companies, including Africa Oil Corporation.
Diplomats say the full European Union report on the elections will be
published in mid-October. (Editing by Catherine Bremer)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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