Ethiopia: Speculation Rife about Zenawi’s Health, Political Ramifications
PM Zenawi looked sick in his recent appearance
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10 July 2012 [ESAT]
There is growing confusion among MPs in Ethiopia about the whereabouts and health of the Prime Minister as he keeps on canceling several scheduled events and constitutionally dictated parliamentary sessions. There is growing speculation that the Prime Minister’s health is so dire that doctors have told him he may only be living for as short as a few months.
The Prime Minister has so far rescheduled important parliamentary sitting to debate and vote on next years budge. He is constitutionally  required to present a report on the state of the republic which should have happened at the last week before July 7 of the parliamentary season. A prescheduled award ceremony at the Science and Technology Ministry where he was slated to be the guest of honor has also been postponed indefinitely.
He was expected to attend the one year anniversary of the independence of the South Sudan Republic where his Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts attended. Though it was reported that a delegation from Ethiopia has gone to South Sudan for the festivities, Meles were a no show. We have since confirmed the Ethiopian delegation is led by the Deputy PM Hailemariam Desalegn.
He is slated to be speaking at the African union Summit currently underway in Addis Ababa and many observers are keen to see if he comes out for the summit.
Since Meles came out after a month in hiding after he was publicly humiliated in Washington DC by Abebe Gellaw many are speculating on the condition of his health. In his first public appearance at the G20 Summit in Mexico he looked emaciated and haggard. Apart from speculations, no credible source has so far said what his actual ailments are. Some sources claim he is suffering from a blood cancer possibly Lymphoma or Leukemia and others say his actual illness is a malignant form of brain tumor. Ardent supporters of TPLF presume a possible  poisoning by his own adversaries in the TPLF circle.
Sources say Meles is already informed by his doctor that his life on earth is numbered. ESAT’s effort to confirm the veracity of the speculation didn’t come to pass.
The Addis Ababa Weekly Addis Fortune in its gossip column-Fine Line- disclosed that government bureaucrats were scrambling to collect medical documents that include invoices of the Prime Minister’s foreign medical expenses from the various bureaus and ministries in an apparent effort to dampen the speculation.
Though many believe the heightened security in Addis Ababa could be for the 19th African Union Summit, some believe there is a palpable fear among the TPLF/EPRDF political ranks as a possible political uncertainty looms large as a result of the deteriorating health of the Prime Minister.
Received on Mon Jul 16 2012 - 11:07:25 EDT
