Azeb Mesfin is now expelled from executive committee. Will she be arrested?
Ethiopia News
borkena
November 28,2017
Source : Horn Affairs
It has been more than two months since the executive committee and central committee of Tigray People’s Liberation Front, whose longtime chairman and the earliest member was the late Meles Zenawi, is undertaking performance evaluation of the executives. And it is not over yet.
What appears to be over, from what is known so far, is that Meles Zenawi’s widow – Azeb Mesfin – is “suspended” from the rank of the executive committee which composed of nine members, and she will not be a member of the central committee either.
The central committee is composed of forty-five members and it was undertaking what some insiders say is a harsh evaluation of the executive members. In addition to central committee evaluation, the TPLF party has a tradition of “self-evaluation” – a process by which executive members evaluate themselves as part of performance evaluation. They call it “gimgema”
The central committee has also relegated, demoted rather, Abay Woldu, president of Tigray regional state and chairman of Tigray People’s Liberation Front after the death of Meles Zenawi, to a position of membership to the central committee.
TPLF executive committee statement sent to pro-TPLF media, Fana Broadcasting, did not shed light if Abbay Woldu is going to be removed as president of Tigray regional state. However, other TPLF affiliated sources, like Horn Affairs, seem to suggest that Abbay will be dismissed as chairman of TPFL and president of the region.
Beyene Mekru is another member of excutive committee who is expelled from the team along with Azeb Mesfin and Abay Woldu. He was Deputy of EFFORT and vice president of Tigray Regional State.
Lack of unity based on principle, faction and familial based attacks within the party and strong anti-democratic thinking patterns were identified as cardinal problems in the uncompleted months-long evaluation – accordign to the statement sent to party-affiliated media. However, the issue of corruption is left untouched – probably with the assuption that it will demolish the party entirely with given mounting allegations of corruption within the party which is owning a business empire worth tens of billions of dollars.
What happened to Azeb Mesfin?
Widow of the late Meles Zenawi was one of the executive committee members and in charge of EFFORT – TPLF business that has invested in a range of sectors across the country.
In the latest round of performance evaluation of the party, Azeb Mesfin walked out after a fifty-nine-page evaluation report was presented to the executive committee on which she voted “nay” along with two other members of executive committee members ( namely Abay Woldu, who is seen as her ally, and Addis Alem Balema, deputy president of Tigray)
But she had to write a letter to the central committee pleading to re-join the performance evaluation again. The road back to the meeting was not easy, if not humiliating, for the lady whose husband was seen as a political god within TPLF and its supporters.
The end of it is not less humiliating either. At this point, it is confirmed that she is removed from the central committee and executive committee.
However, it is not clear if the decision is related to her behavior during the evaluative meeting or something else more serious. The party is secretive about it.
With that that the notion of “Meles vision” – a mantra that was entrenched after Meles Zenawi deceased – is speculated to see its end.
If her expulsion is related to her performance as head of EFFORT, she could even face something more serious. And it remains to be seen if her allies including Abay Woldu will not respond to that in their won way.
Azeb Mesfin met Meles Zenawi during the gurrilla war time of TPLF and they have three children together
There was already speculation that she has made arrangements to live in exile along with her daughters but this is not confirmed from credible sources so far.
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