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.Parade: The World's Worst Dictators: 15. Meles Zenawi (February 15, 2008)

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.

"We shall negotiate while fighting. We shall fight while negotiating, ... Whichever road leads to peace quickly will be the road we follow."New York Times:Ethiopia Willing to Negotiate, But Refuses to Stop Fighting (May 23, 2000)

"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."CNN: More fighting reported on Eritrea-Ethiopia border (June 9, 1998)

"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."New York Times: Ethiopia's Capital...Finds Itself in Crisis (November 14, 2005)

"I am proud to be an Ethiopian. I am proud to be a part of that history."Hartford Web Publishing: ...Meeting with Prime Minister Meles (October 20, 2005)

"Democracy is the expression of a sovereign people. To impose it from outside is inherently undemocratic."Guardian: ...Democracy From Outside is Inherently Undemocratic (January 25, 2008)