 The town gives its name to a parliamentary constituency; the current Member of Parliament for Felege Selam on the House of Peoples' Representatives is Mulat Tazebew Nigatu, who has held the position since 2005.Felege Selam was founded as one of the resettlement projects under the Derg in the years 1984-6, when it was known as Mender 4 (or "Left 4", because the settlement was located on the left side of the Beles River).The town has been the scene of violent confrontations between the indigenous Gumuz and newcomers brought to the area by the resettlement project