Ethiopian Ruling Party Picks Leader From Protest-Hit Region
- Abiy Ahmed from Oromia expected to be named as prime minister
- Government has struggled to put down two years of protests
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Ethiopia’s ruling coalition appointed a top official from the protest-hit Oromia region as leader, as the government tries to quell unrest that’s posed the biggest challenge to its rule in a quarter-century.
The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front chose Abiy Ahmed, 42, a retired lieutenant general and recently appointed chairman of the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization, to succeed Hailemariam Desalegn. Abiy is now expected to be voted in by parliament as the country’s next prime minister.