With Tedros Adhanom, who is running for the World Health Organization’s top post, standing down as Foreign Minister, an opportunity opened for a fellow aspiring politicians to jump into one of the highest-profile jobs in government. The speculation over possible replacements has squarely focused on two state ministers, Taye Atskeselassie and Yonas Yosef. Some focus on Yonas in particular, because he is believed to be Hailemariam Desalegn’s favourite to take over and has a strong relationship with the prime minister. The Paris-based intelligence publication Indian Ocean was the first to suggest that Yonas has the highest rating with Prime Minister Haile Mariam. Yonas has already enjoyed one of the fastest rises of Hailemariam’s administration, rising first to the mayorship of Awassa before becoming Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in October 2015. The intelligence paper reminded us Yonas had already ousted a TPLF heavyweight, Berhane Gebre-Christos, by replacing him in his post at the foreign ministry in October 2015. Other say that Taye Atskeselassie has served in some major portfolios and has significant experience on the international stage, having served as director for the America’s Affairs and Consul General in Los Angeles, as result has more chance of getting the high-profile post.Last week Taye has been busy conferring with ambassadors from different African countries to convince them to endorse the candidacy of Dr. Tedros for the WHO post. While the election for the position is to be held in May 2017, Dr. Tedros’ candidacy got big boost last January with the African Union’s endorsement. If Dr. Tedros’s climb to the ranks of WHO is transformed into reality, it would help the career of either Taye or the other possible contender for the foreign relations post.
↧