Hailemariam Desalegn

Prime Minister of Ethiopia

19 July 1965 Boloso Sore, Ethiopian Empire

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20 August 2012 – 2 April 2018 Acting: 20 August 2012 – 21 September 2012 Caretaker: 15 February 2018 – 2 April 2018

Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018 This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by their given name, Hailemariam, and not as Desalegn. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe (Amharic: ኀይለ ማሪያም ደሳለኝ ቦሼ ; born 19 July 1965) is an Ethiopian politician who served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018. He also previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Meles Zenawi from 2010 to 2012. After Meles' death in August 2012, Hailemariam succeeded him as Prime Minister, initially in an acting capacity. He was then elected as the Chair of the EPRDF, the ruling party, on 15 September 2012. Hailemariam also served as the Chairperson of the African Union from 2013 to 2014. He submitted his resignation as Prime Minister of Ethiopia and EPRDF chairperson on 15 February 2018 in response to the fallout from mass protests and unrest in 2016. His resignation was accepted on 11 March 2018, but he stayed in office as caretaker Prime Minister until 2 April 2018. Hailemariam is the first ruler in modern Ethiopian history to step down; previous leaders have died in office or been overthrown. He said he wanted to clear the way for reforms.