Abiy Ahmed (PhD), chairman of EPRDF
Awramba Times (Mekelle,Tigrai) – Ethiopia’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has elected Abiy Ahmed (PhD) as its chairperson, in its final day of the week-long extraordinary council meeting today.
It was the long tradition of the ruling party that the chairperson of the coalition will automatically be the ruling party’s possible candidate to sworn in as the nation’s Prime Minister infront the house of Peoples representative.
The highly anticipated election of Dr. Abiy Ahmed that drew the attention of millions of Ethiopians at home and abroad, has been welcomed by many opposition figures and social media activists.
Jawar Mohammed, prominent opposition figure based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the man who is widely believed to be behind the two year-long anti-government protest in Oromia, has congratulated the new chairperson of EPRDF in an unpresidented manner.
“. . .you have ascended to the helm of power at the most critical time in the country’s history” Jawar wrote in his facebook page, few minutes after the official announcement of the election result by the state owned broadcaster, EBC.
According to jawar, a lot of immediate tasks await the new chairman ahead, to ‘save the country’ from the current dangerous crisis. Some of them whom Jawar highlighted are starting immediate dialogue with opposition to pave roadmap towards democratic transition and releasing all political prisoners.
The nation’s parliament will soon gather to approve Dr. Abiy’s candidacy as the next head of government of the nation for the first time from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest tribe of the country.
Source:: http://www.awrambatimes.com/?p=16930