Demeke Mekonnen has been Deputy Prime Minister since September 2012, and additionally took on the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2020 (Photo: CGTN)Addis Abeba – Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s long-serving Deputy Prime Minister, who also doubles as Minister of Foreign Affairs since November 2020, is departing from both positions as early as today, Addis Standard has confirmed from a credible source close to the matter. Although Demeke has served as deputy prime minister since 2012, his elevation as the Minister of Foreign Affairs came during an unprecedented reshuffle by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the wake of the war in the Tigray region in November 2020. Demeke replaced the then Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew while maintaining his position the deputy Prime Minister. Demeke’s career at the federal level began in 2008 when he became the Minister of Education when the late Meles Zenawi was Ethiopia’s Prime Minister. As Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke was put in charge of organizing the much needed humanitarian response between the government and humanitarian partners.
