* Spurred economic growth but intolerant of dissent
* Deputy PM takes over as acting prime minister
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,
regarded by the West as a bulwark against Islamic militancy, died overnight
in a Brussels hospital after a long battle with illness.
Speculation that Meles, 57, an ally of Washington who twice sent troops into
neighbouring Somalia to help crush rebellions, was seriously ill had grown
after he failed to attend an African Union summit last month.
Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will be sworn in as acting prime
minister by parliament and the ruling party will meet to choose a successor
but no date has been set.
"The death of Prime Minister Meles has robbed Africa of one of its greatest
sons," the African Union, which is headquartered in Addis Ababa, said in a
statement.
Bereket Simon, Meles' right-hand-man and government spokesman, said the
leader had been ill for a year and had passed away around midnight after he
was suddenly rushed to intensive care.
Meles seized power in 1991 from Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta and
went on to become a towering political figure on the continent who was
widely credited for steering one of the world's poorest countries to fast
economic growth.
Rights groups criticised him for cracking down hard on dissent but the West
generally turned a blind eye to the repression, reluctant to pick a fight
with a partner in the fight against al Qaeda-linked groups in Africa.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Meles was an "inspirational
spokesman for Africa".
Cafes around Addis Ababa's affluent Bole Tele district were packed with
people glued to television sets after a special news broadcast announced
Meles' death.
The secretive government did not reveal where he was being treated or the
nature of his illness but a European Union source said he died in Brussels
where he had been a patient at the Saint-Luc University Hospital.
A cortege accompanied by police riders left a hotel next to the hospital,
and took a casket, believed to hold Meles' body, to a private airstrip near
the city's main airport.
Belgian military officials and police were at the airport as the casket was
loaded onto an Ethiopian Airlines jet.
LARGER-THAN-LIFE STATESMAN
Somalia's al Shabaab militants, who encountered Ethiopian troops twice under
Meles' tenure, once in 2006-2009 and again from Dec. 2011, hailed the former
leader's death.
"He led the African leaders who had fingers in Somalia for two decades, but
all in vain," said spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage.
Bereket said Africa's second most populous nation was stable and would
continue on the path charted by Meles. The ruling party, Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front, will select his permanent successor.
Negasso Gidada, a former president during Meles' tenure and now chairman of
the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice, said he hoped the transition
of power would be peaceful.
"We urge the EPRDF to change for the good the political, democratic and
human rights situation in the country," he said.
David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, said he expected many of
Meles' defence policies to remain the same.
"For internal security reasons, there will be a continuing focus on Somalia
and I do not foresee any significant change towards Eritrea," said Shinn,
referring to Ethiopia's arch-foe with whom it fought a decade-long border
war.
Meles presided over a seven-year run of double digit economic growth,
advocating a mix of heavy state spending and private investment.
He was widely applauded for ploughing money into infrastructure but
criticised by some for selling off swathes of land to foreigners. Many
Ethiopians complain that his close business ties with China did not
translate into more jobs.
RIGHTS RECORD
International rights groups criticised Meles' handling of dissent. He
rounded up numerous opposition leaders after the disputed 2005 polls and
several opponents and journalists have been arrested under a 2009
anti-terrorism law.
"Today is a day of joy for most Ethiopians and all freedom loving people
around the world," opposition website Ethiopian Review said, describing
Meles as a "genocidal tyrant".
Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Meles' death heralded a
challenging time for Ethiopia.
"I ardently hope that the transition period will be smooth and peaceful and
that Ethiopia sees leadership that reflects the aspirations of its people
and realizes the potential of this extraordinary country," Annan said in a
statement.
State television said details of Meles' state funeral would be announced
soon.
Acting Prime Minister Hailemariam, 47, was an advisor to Meles in 2006
before being picked as his deputy in 2010, a surprise because of his
relatively young age.
He had also replaced Meles as chair of a number of parliamentary committees
in the past few years, a sign that he was being groomed for the post,
diplomats say.
ADDIS ABABA Aug 21 (Reuters) - After weeks of absence, Ethiopia announced on
Tuesday the death of long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi after he
succumbed to an undisclosed illness.
So who might succeed him? The Horn of Africa country has kept a tight lid on
the affair but here are a few names that have been widely touted:
HAILEMARIAM DESALEGN
Soft-spoken and humble, yet politically shrewd is how some diplomats in the
Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, describe the 47-year-old deputy to Meles.
A former university dean, Hailemariam will be sworn in as acting prime
minister by parliament, before the ruling party holds a congress meeting to
select a successor. A date has not yet been set.
Hailemariam quickly rose through the ranks when he turned to politics,
serving as president of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's
Region in the south west of the country from 2001 to 2006 prior to being
named as an advisor to Meles.
His pick as Meles' deputy in 2010 was a major surprise, partly due to his
relative young age. He is widely seen as the late leader's protege.
He also replaced Meles as chair of a number of parliamentary committees in
the past few years, a tell-tale sign of grooming, diplomats say.
AZEB MESFIN
The wife of Meles and mother of his three children, Azeb's rise from
closely-guarded first lady to a workaholic politician and activist has
inevitably raised speculation that Ethiopia would do "a Kirchner" - in
reference to Argentina's experience in which the current leader Christina
replaced her husband upon his death.
A member of parliament, she has won numerous accolades for her anti-HIV/AIDS
campaign in the past few years and is chair of a parliamentary body on
social affairs.
She remains a polarising figure, however, with some members of the country's
ferociously anti-government Diaspora often criticising her business
activities.
TEWODROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS
Educated in Britain, Tewodros has been health minister since 2005 and has a
string of achievements under his belt - including a significant reduction in
Ethiopia's child mortality rate - that have won him international respect.
Tewodros has an outside chance for the posting. He told Reuters in 2010,
when Meles announced short-lived retirement plans, he did not want to be
prime minister. But he is also a popular figure in his party, the ruling
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.
ALEMAYEHU ATOMSA
Alemayehu is seen as a possible compromise candidate.
Alemayehu, currently head of the OPDO party that is allied to Meles' EPRDF,
is an Oromo, an ethnic group which, though Ethiopia's largest in number,
have never taken centre-stage politically.
Meles was a Tigrayan, an ethnic group that accounts for just 6 percent of
the population but came to dominate the political establishment under Meles.
The Amhara ethnic group traditionally ruled the country and are likely to
lobby for one of their ruling party members to take over after Meles' death.
(Editing by Richard Lough and Anna Willard)
