Ethiopia ruling coalition meets to choose Meles successor

ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopia's ruling coalition began a top level meeting Friday to chose a new chairman to succeed Meles Zenawi, the veteran prime minister who died last month.

The meeting of the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) governing council in Addis Ababa is expected to continue on Saturday, according to its website.

Asked about the timing of an announcement about Meles' successor, coalition spokesman Sekuture Getachew said: "Tomorrow (Saturday)," and declined further comment.

During his 21 years in power, Meles, who died in a Brussels hospital on August 20, was both EPRDF chairman and prime minister. It is not clear whether his successor will also hold both posts.

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was swiftly named acting prime minister and was presented by the government as the natural successor to Meles, who had groomed him to take over.

But parliament has still not met to confirm Hailemariam in the post.

A new prime minister has to be elected by the Ethiopian parliament, which will hold its next session at the end of the month.

In the meantime, the EPRDF council "will assign the chairperson of the organisation that replaces our great leader, who departed from us suddenly," the coalition said.

The EPRDF is made up of four parties, each representing a specific region: Meles's party the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organisation, the Amhara National Democratic Movement and the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Movement, the party of Hailemariam.