ADDIS ABABA: After weeks of speculation over Ethiopia's future leader, Hailamariam Desalegn was approved by the ruling party here over the weekend and will be the country's prime minister for the foreseeable future. He is already gaining must positive reaction from the international community, including former American Ambassador to Ethiopia David Shinn, who said it was not a shock that Desalegn was approved as the top party official. “I think it was almost predictable in that Hailemariam was being groomed by Prime Minister Meles to succeed him. I think a lot of thought has gone into this selection," he said. Shinn said that the country can now turn to its future and progress toward democracy and better human rights, but he did not give a prognosis for that future or what it might look like. What that future will be is anyone's guess at the present moment. Many in the country are hopeful that the memory of late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will be upheld and Desalegn will follow in his footsteps politically. However, there is a growing number of activists and observers who are looking for a new path and one that Desalegn can help create that respects human rights and the democratic process. “We just want to move forward and get things back on track," a shopkeeper in Addis Ababa told Bikyamasr.com, in reference to the infighting that had delayed the new PM from officially being sworn in. There is a growing debate over the future of Ethiopia's political situation, with many calling for dramatic changes to the current status quo of absolute power by the ruling party.
