editor
Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister Demeke Mekonnen, who has occupied the post for over 11 years under three successive prime ministers, will be replaced by spy chief Temesgen Tiruneh, a senior government official told.
Temesgen was elected to succeed Demeke as a vice president of the ruling Prosperity Party, state-run media reported. A vice president of the party typically serves as deputy prime minister.
Demeke has been a face of continuity during a turbulent period in Ethiopian politics. He was appointed to the post after the death of longtime prime minister Meles Zenawi in 2012 and survived a reorganisation of the ruling party that occurred after Abiy Ahmed took power in 2018.
Temesgen is the head of the national intelligence service and has coordinated the government’s response to a conflict that broke out last year in the Amhara region with local militias.
