His Excellency Meles Zenawi

Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Repbulic of Ethiopia

His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was born in 1955 in the town of Adowa, which is located in northern Ethiopia, where he spent his formative years attending elementary school. Thereafter, he attended the General Wingate High School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Upon graduating with honors, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was awarded the Haile Selassie I Prize Trust, a highly selective award given only to the most outstanding students. Following graduation from high school, he entered the University of Addis Ababa’s Medical School where he spent the next few years.

In 1975, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi left the university and became a founding member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). In 1985, he became the Secretary General of the TPLF and in 1989 he assumed Chairmanship of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of Ethiopian political organizations. With the defeat of the military regime in 1991, he was elected the President of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia and Chairman of the Council of Representatives.

On August 23, 1995, he was unanimously elected by the members of the Council of Peoples’ Representatives to be Premier of the new Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and he took his oath of office that same day.  He was re-elected as Prime Minister in October 2000.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has won international and domestic admiration and respect for leading Ethiopia on a peaceful and democratic path during the challenging period of the transition. He continues to lead Ethiopia towards long-term stability and economic reconstruction. The Prime Minister is also active in facilitating peaceful resolutions of the conflicts in Somalia and the Sudan.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi speaks fluent Amharic, Tigrigna and English. He holds an MBA from Great Britain. The Prime Minister is married and has three children.