Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia has become the first Ethiopian leader to relinquish power willingly. He submitted his resignation letter to the country’s ruling coalition and the House of Representatives after his adminstration’s recent decision to release political prisoners.
His snap resignation suggests that the ruling coalition elites are divided. My considered opinion is that Desalegn was either pressured to resign, or he was simply unable to function independently as the country’s leader.
There is a great deal happening in the country. A day after Desalegn resigned, Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency. A previous state of emergency declared in October 2016 was lifted in August 2017. The government said it was lifting the emergency measures because it had fewer security issues. In reality, the state of emergency had failed to quell uprisings in the two largest regions of Amhara and Oromia.