Ethiopian president's position shaky

Mr Gidada: Accused of refusing to accept reforms

By Nita Bhalla in Addis Ababa

The position of the Ethiopian president, Dr Negaso Gidada, is under serious threat after he was dismissed from the executive committee of his party.

In a surprise announcement on Friday by the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation (OPDO), one of the five parties making up the ruling EPRDF coalition, Mr Gidada was accused of refusing to accept the party's reforms.

Dr Gidada doesn't see the tackling of corruption within his own party... as an issue that needs to be addressed

OPDO member

The statement, headed, "The renewal process cannot be obstructed by the ill wishes of the opportunists", also said the president had been supporting dissidents of a breakaway faction opposed to the Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi.

The president, who was participating in the EPRDF Council meeting, said that he was withdrawing himself from the council's membership, because he "had come under increasing pressure from the chair of the council".

It is still unclear what pressure the president was referring to, but sources say that over the past five days, the EPRDF meetings reviewing both policy reforms and the last 10 years in power have been increasingly strained.

'No to reforms'

"Dr Gidada doesn't see the tackling of corruption within his own party, which has been one of the main priorities of the government, as an issue that needs to be addressed," an OPDO member said.

He has also been accused of unwillingness to accept the more capitalist economic reforms that the EPRDF wishes to advance.

Associates of the prime minister say he is more in line with the Marxist-Leninist policies that brought the EPRDF to power in 1991 than with the party today.

'Supports dissidents'

The ODPO's most serious point of contention with the president, however, is his apparent support for a splinter group of dissidents who were expelled in March from main party in the ruling coalition, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The dissidents vehemently oppose the Prime Minister Mr Zenawi.

Political analysts also say the president has been demanding more rights for the Oromo people, which make up almost 50% of the population, and is an ardent supporter of Oromo nationalism.

This has not gone down well with the Mr Zenawi's Tigrean minority-led government, analysts say.

They add, however, that Mr Gidada, who is mainly seen as a ceremonial figure, has been demanding more power.

Speculation in Addis Ababa is rife, and political analysts predict it is only a matter of days or weeks before he is removed as president.

Official sources have speculated that in the coming days, Mr Gidada is likely to lose a number of no-confidence votes within the party and parliament, which will result in his dismissal as president.

He has held the post for six years and is due to end his term this September.

Political turmoil

The dismissal comes as Ethiopia undergoes major political turmoil.

In the past few months, the prime minister has faced challenges not only from within his own party, but also from a rising student movement and opposition parties.

Mr Zenawi's chief of security and close ally was assassinated in May and the prime minister has been re-shuffling his cabinet with senior generals from within his army, with the aim of securing his position.