Addis Abeba, March 27/2018 – AddisStandard
The just-concluded meeting by the Council of Ethiopia’s ruling party, EPRDF, elected Dr. Abiy Ahmed Aliy, chairman of the OPDO, as EPRDF’s new chairman. The council has not decided on who will be the deputy.
If the party sticks to its tradition, which is more likely than not, Dr. Abiy will be recommended by the council and be approved by the parliament to become Ethiopia’s next Prime Minister.
The election came three weeks after the executive committee of the 36 powerful bloc of the party began its meeting on March 11 which was then followed by the council’s meeting which began on March 20 and ended today.
EPRDF’s Council has 180 members comprised of 45 members each from the four major parties that make up the ruling party: the Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organization (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM), and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Dr. Abiy, 42, has served the national defense force with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was instrumental in establishing the Ethiopian Information Network Security Agency (INSA). He was also a one time minister of Science & Technology.
Dr. Abiy was recently elected as chairman of the OPDO by the 81 member of the party’s Central Committee, replacing Lemma Megerssa, president of the Oromia regional state who held the positions of both the chairman of OPDO & President of Oromia region. His election as the new chairman of the OPDO placed him as the favorite front-runner among the major contenders for the premiership. Read More on AddisStandard