Meles Zenawi's widow, powerful in her own right, is refusing to move from the national palace, say government sources
Simon Allison for Daily Maverick, part of the Guardian Africa Network guardian.co.uk, Thu 25 Oct 2012
Simon Allison| The Guardian | 25 October 2012: It is has been a little more than two months since the death of
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Since then, the country that he
ruled over for 21 years has effected a remarkably smooth transition. His
deputy, Hailemariam Desalegn, has taken over as both party leader and
prime minister. There have been no major reshuffles. Policy changes,
where they have happened, have been encouraging. Any threats to
Desalegn's succession were muted and, evidently, unsuccessful. Even the
country's restive Muslim population has been quiet, waiting to see what
the new leadership is all about before pressing on with their campaign
for a greater say in the country's (and their own) affairs.
There is one problem, however. It's minor in the grand scheme of things,
perhaps, but raises a few nagging questions that Meles' successor could
do without. It's also rather tricky to handle, even with the best of
intentions.
Journalist Argaw Ashine explained the sensitive situation for Daily Nation:
"The powerful widow of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is reportedly
stalling on vacating Ethiopia's national palace for the country's new
leader and his family. According to government sources, Mrs Azeb Mesfin
has ignored instructions to move to a new residence that would also be
accorded full security detail. The government has given Mrs Azeb and her
children the option of three residential villas in Addis Ababa but she
is said to have refused to even visit any out of her own security
concerns."
Meanwhile, Desalegn and his family remain in their relatively small
villa in a suburban area in the west of the capital. This is not
particularly convenient for Ethiopia's new head of state, although it
does reveal his considerate side; he leaves for work very early in the
morning and returns late at night in order to spare the already
jam-packed Addis Ababa streets the further chaos that accompanies the
passage of his convoy.
At a human level, it is easy to sympathise with the
widow. Meles Zenawi was just 57 when he died, and her grief is real; the
pair had been married for a quarter of a century. For most of that
time, the couple lived in the prime minister's residence in the national
palace, as was their right. With Meles showing no signs of relinquishing power before his death, Azeb Mesfin would have envisaged
many more years in what had become, in effect, their personal home. But
losing her husband also means losing her home, a double blow which Azeb
is probably not yet ready to face.
"For Azeb to
leave a house she lived in for 21 years takes a lot longer than one
might possibly imagine. Especially the properties of her late husband
including his memorabilia, books, several of his precious possessions
and other things might require time to be arranged and moved out of the
house," said Seble Teweldebirhan, an Addis Ababa-based reporter.
At
a political level, things are a little more complicated (as they always
are). Azeb Mesfin was no mere ornament to her husband's immense power.
She is a successful politician in her own right, and chairs an
influential multi-billion dollar government fund for the rehabilitation
of the Tigray region. Not coincidentally, most of Ethiopia's political
power is concentrated in the hands of people from this region (although
not the new prime minister, it should be noted; he is from a southern
province).
In her own way, she was just as
powerful as her late husband. "She not just Meles Zenawi's wife, but practically second-in-command of her husband's tyranny. In fact, those
who know her well say that she is very mean and more dictatorial than
her husband," wrote Abebe Gellaw, an analyst on an anti-government
website. His view is jaundiced, but it contains an element of truth:
Azeb and Meles were a team.
In fact, right after
Meles' death speculation began that his widow would manoeuvre herself
into power. If true, she obviously failed, but perhaps this explains the
strange delays in confirming Desalegn, the official successor, to the
position. It also explains why she's so reluctant to leave the official
residence, the last vestige of executive power remaining to her.
For
Desalegn, the issue is fraught. If he pushes too hard to get her out of
the palace, he risks coming across as uncaring, potentially losing the
support of Meles' supporters. If he does nothing, however, he might come
across as soft, and not in control – qualities that Ethiopians have not
seen a leader for many decades. This, perhaps,is no bad thing. Meles Zenawi's obituaries were divided in their praise
for his economic development policies and criticism for his repressive
governance. If Desalegn can combine steady economic growth with a more
enlightened, less restrictive government,he can really consolidate
Ethiopia's progress.And if can do that, then it doesn't really matter
how long it takes to get Azeb Mesfin out of the palace.
• Since this article was published there have been local reports in Ethiopia that Azeb Mesfin has left the palace
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