Ethiopia installs Ahmed as new PM
■ Abiy Ahmed succeeds Desalegn who resigned in mid- February
Addis Ababa, April 2: Ethiopia’s legislature has elected young and outspoken Abiy Ahmed as Prime Minister, amid hopes that he will be able to quell sustained anti- government protests in Africa’s second most populous nation.
Abiy was immediately sworn in to office on Monday, succeeding Hailemariam Desalegn who resigned in midFebruary as a result of widespread anti- government protests that have taken the lives of several hundred people mainly in the restive Oromia and Amhara regions.
“This is a historic moment,” said Abiy in his inaugural address to Ethiopian lawmakers.
“This is high time for us to learn from our past mistakes and make up for all the wrongs done in the past. We understand there are a lots of problems that need to be solved with great urgency.”
Abiy apologised for the deaths of civilians in the violent protests.
He said his administration will strive to solve grievances by discussion rather than by force, provide more space for opposition parties, fight corruption and focus on respect for rule of law.
The new leader said he aims to open up a fresh dialogue with arch- foe Eritrea and called upon Ethiopia’s diaspora to more actively take part in the country’s affairs.
Abiy is the first Oromo politician to become Ethiopia’s prime minister since the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front came to power in 1991.
It is hoped he will be able to bring an end to the protests that have been raging since late 2015 to press for wider political freedoms and the release of opposition figures. The Oromo people, the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia’s 100 million people.