Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has submitted a resignation letter following protests that have disrupted life and business in one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported Thursday.

“The prime minister said he tried his utmost effort to solve the crisis in his country and he is resigning now to be part of a solution to it,” the report said. It was not immediately clear whether lawmakers had accepted the resignation.

The government in recent weeks released more than 6,500 detained opposition figures, journalists and others after the prime minister in a surprise announcement in January said he wanted to “widen the democratic space for all.”

The resignation of Hailemariam, 53, in power since 2012, is unprecedented in the vast East African country.
Hailemariam oversaw a smooth handover following the death of former prime minister Meles Zenawi, turning the relatively little-known politician and technocrat to an influential leader.

Hailemariam, will continue in his role until the “power transition is completed,” the FBC report said. He also seeks to unseat himself from the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, the report said.

Source: Agencies