Bulcha Demeke | |
---|---|
Leader of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement | |
Assumed office 2005 | |
Member of the House of Peoples' Representatives for Mirab (West) Welega | |
In office 2005–2010 | |
Member of Parliament for OFDM | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1930 Bodji,Wollega |
Nationality | Ethiopian |
Political party | OFDM |
Profession | Politician,businessman |
Bulcha Demeksa (born 1930) is an Ethiopian politician and businessman. He is the founder of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM),one of Ethiopia's largest opposition parties.
In 1967,Bulcha was appointed vice-minister of Finance before representing his country at the board of the World Bank. In 1974,when the Ethiopian Revolution started,he left Ethiopia and was hired by the UN administration. Bulcha took his retirement in Ethiopia in 1991,and in 1994,he created the Awash International Bank which became a success. [1]
In early 2005,Bulcha founded the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM),which he saw as a non-military,democratic political party as an alternative to the armed Oromo Liberation Front. [1]
Bulcha Demeksa has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the late Meles Zenawi's government and the opposition leader most referred by the international media. With other opposition officials,he helped the creation of Medrek,a larger opposition alliance.
Bulcha resigned as OFDM party chairman in late 2010 but continues as an adviser for the leadership. His retirement from OFDM and his harsh criticism of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and on the 2010 elections were a regular feature story on dozens of private Amharic and English newspapers in the country. In 2019 he announced his intention to run in the 2020 elections. [2]
At the end of 2008,Bulcha was named "Person of the Year" by Jimma Times,the online version of the defunct Afan Oromo private Yeroo newspaper. He was chosen for his work in the financial sector and his work for human rights and democracy as well as peace activist between different warring sections of the Ethiopian society. [3]
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The government of Ethiopia is the federal government of Ethiopia. It is structured in a framework of a federal parliamentary republic,whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The prime minister is chosen by the lower chamber of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament. The judiciary is more or less independent of the executive and the legislature. They are governed under the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia. There is a bicameral parliament made of the 108-seat House of Federation and the 547-seat House of Peoples' Representatives. The House of Federation has members chosen by the regional councils to serve five-year terms. The House of Peoples' Representatives is elected by direct election,who in turn elect the president for a six-year term.
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Under the current constitution,Ethiopia conducts local,regional,and federal elections. At the federal level,Ethiopia elects a legislature. The Federal Parliamentary Assembly has two chambers:the House of People's Representatives with not more than 550 members as per the constitution but actually nearly 547 members,elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies;and the Council of the Federation with 117 members,one each from the 22 minority nationalities,and one from each professional sector of its remaining nationalities,designated by the regional councils,which may elect them themselves or through popular elections.
The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement Oromo:Warraaqsa Federaalistii Uummata Oromoo,OFDM) was a political party in Ethiopia,created in 2005 by Bulcha Demeksa to further the interests of the Oromo people as an alternative to the armed Oromo Liberation Front. In the 15 May 2005 federal election,the party won 11 seats,all from the Oromia Region. In March 2006,the party Whip was Mesfin Nemera Deriesa from the West Wallaga Zone. The OFDM merged with the Oromo People's Congress (OPC),forming the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC),in 2012.
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Kuma Demeksa is an Ethiopian politician. Since 24 April 2015,he has been an Ethiopian ambassador to Germany. From 2008 to 2013 he was mayor of Addis Ababa;previous positions include President of the Oromia Region (1995–2001),and Minister of Defense (2005–2008). He was one of the founders,as well as a current member,of the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO),which is part of the ruling coalition,the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
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Merera Gudina is an Ethiopian professor and politician. He is the leader of the Oromo People's Congress (OPC),a political party representing the Oromo people. The organization is opposed to the previous ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front and the current authoritarian ruling Abiy Ahmed's fake Prosperity Party. He has been described as Ethiopian "leading opposition politician".
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