Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi is the Prime Minister of
Ethiopia. Zenawi was ranked #15 on
Parade magazine's list of the world's worst dictators in
2008.
1
Fast Facts
- Real name: Legesse Zenawi
- Born: May 8, 1955
- Birth place: Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia
- President: May 28, 1991 to August 22, 1995
- Prime Minister: Assumed office on August 23, 1995
- Spouse: Azeb Mesfin, three children
Biography
Meles Zenawi was born in northern Ethiopia. He attended Addis Ababa University studying medicine for two years before leaving to join the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF) in 1974. Zenawi was elected leader of the TPLF Leadership Council in 1979 and Leader of thier executive committee in 1983. He has served as the leader of both theTPLF and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) since 1991. Following the defeat and exile of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, Zenawi was named interim president, serving until 1995. He was then elected Prime Minister, being reelected in 2000 and 2005. Zenawi later earned an MBA at Open University in the United Kingdom and a masters in Economics from Erasmus University in the Netherlands.
Meles Zenawi Quotes
"We shall negotiate while fighting. We shall fight while negotiating, ... Whichever road leads to peace quickly will be the road we follow."2
"It's true we have our disagreements on border issues, we have disagreements on trade and related issues, but you don't go invading a country whenever you have a dispute on trade issues, ... We have more civilized mechanisms on resolving such problems."3
"What we have detained is people who have tried to overthrow the duly constituted government, and that in my view is treason under the laws of the country."4
"I am proud to be an Ethiopian. I am proud to be a part of that history."5
"Democracy is the expression of a sovereign people. To impose it from outside is inherently undemocratic."6
Related Mahalo Pages
Ethiopia | Africa | European Union | Separatist Turmoil in Ethiopia | New Somali Alliance
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