Ethiopia mourns amid political handover preparations

Ethiopians mourned on Thursday the passing of both their political and religious leaders, as preparations continued for a handover to strongman prime minister Meles Zenawi's interim successor.

The funeral of Abune Paulos, the patriarch of the powerful Ethiopian Orthodox Church, who died last week aged 76, was held Thursday.

Some three thousand people, including priests dressed in yellow flowing robes and carrying staffs, along with crowds of nuns and politicians, massed outside the Church of Saint Selassie in Addis Ababa.

"It is very sad to lose two people in less than two weeks, it is very sad for everyone," said Eleni Zewdu, a mourner at the funeral.

Still, it was the death of Meles, who ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron fist for 21 years, that dominated discussions in the city and in the news media.

Thousands gathered in the drizzling rain to mourn Meles on the grounds of the National Palace, where photos of the late leader were displayed.

"I came here just to say goodbye to my prime minister. I am so sad, I just had to come to say goodbye to him," said Martha Tigist, 28, a social worker.

However, not all mourners were as glowing in their remembrance of Meles.

"I don't think he was a good prime minister. They think he is democratic here, but for me, how can the prime minister be 20 years in one position?" said Dawit Woldesegn, 20, a student living in Germany.

Foreign affairs spokesman Dina Mufti confirmed Thursday that Meles's funeral would be held on September 2 in Addis Ababa.

Meles died overnight Monday to Tuesday following a long illness. The 57-year-old had not been seen in public since the G20 summit in Mexico in June.

State television continued to pay tribute to him Thursday, while his portrait appeared on the front pages of newspapers.

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, 47, who has also been foreign minister since 2010, will take over interim power, officials have said. He is expected to be sworn in at an extraordinary parliament session in the coming days.

He had been due to be sworn in on Thursday, but that was later cancelled, possibly as it clashed with the funeral of Abune Paulos.

However, government spokesman Bereket Simon said the parliamentary meeting was cancelled because lawmakers wanted more time to mourn Meles's death.

"Parliament is asking that they have to be given time to mourn the prime minister as they are members, representatives of his constituency," Bereket told AFP.

He said the emergency session could take place "at any time".

Bereket has said Hailemariam will remain in the post until elections in 2015, although he must first be formally chosen as head of the ruling party, likely later this year.

Analysts have suggested that several others are also in the running for the top job, but Bereket insisted "the secession issue has been settled for good."

Abune Paulos, who died after a long illness, was the patriarch of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church since 1992, when he was elected to the highest order of the denomination.

Some two-thirds of Ethiopia's 84 million people are Christian, the majority following the Orthodox faith.

Meles for his part was a key Western ally in a region that is home to Al-Qaeda-linked groups.

But while world leaders praised his legacy, rights groups said his death offered a chance to end a brutal crackdown on basic freedoms.

He was regularly singled out as one of the continent's worst human rights predators, and Amnesty International has called on the country's new leaders to end his government's "ever-increasing repression".

But he leaves behind a complex legacy at home.

Meles -- who also had strong trade links with China -- was credited with Ethiopia's economic boom in the past decade, with growth shooting from 3.8 percent in the 1990s to 10 percent in 2010.

His death also leaves a major power gap in the region, with Ethiopia playing a key role in the fortunes of many of its neighbours.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-mourns-amid-political-handover-preparations-112546618.html

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