The Election of Dr. <PERSON> as WHO Director-General Isn’t Exactly Uniting Ethiopians · Global Voices
Members of Ethiopian diaspora community protest in Geneva against the newly elected director-general of WHO. May 22, 2017. Image: <PERSON>.
Despite an intense campaign waged against him by some of his fellow compatriots, Dr. <PERSON> of Ethiopia will be the next director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Commonly known by his first name, <PERSON> handily defeated Dr. <PERSON>, the British candidate, after two rounds of voting among WHO member states at the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva. He is the first African to win the top job.
For <PERSON>'s Ethiopian opponents, however, his election was not a triumphant moment. Critics cite his record as the country's former minister of health and the minister of foreign affairs, saying he was complicit in the Ethiopian government's arrest and torture of political leaders and citizens who challenged the status quo. They fear his victory as director-general of the United Nations’ top public health organization will legitimize the Ethiopian authorities’ actions on a global scale.
Key <PERSON> campaign lesson. An African in battle needs two armies. One to face the opponent. The other to wade off compatriots pic.twitter.com/BYDi9KDCWX
— Calestous Juma FRS (@calestous) May 24, 2017
For months, opponents have waged a vigorous online campaign to block <PERSON>'s candidacy, culminating in protests in Geneva this month. Just before the vote, members of Ethiopian diaspora groups swarmed the streets around the United Nations Office, hoisting flags and displaying banners with signs bearing slogans like “Killers are not healers!” and “No Tedros for WHO!”
A day before the election, a heckler shouted, “No <PERSON> for WHO; it is a travesty of humanity and Africa think again.”
#WHA70 interrupted by #NoTedros4WHO campaigner calling Member States to “Think again!” #WHODG pic.twitter.com/PxzNq2ESJC
— <PERSON> (@MathiasBonk) May 22, 2017
Meanwhile in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, government supporters waited anxiously for the results of the election, wondering about the fallout of multiple media reports about allegations of a cholera cover-up involving <PERSON> and the spirited opposition from Ethiopian diaspora groups.
Smear campaign never works for anybody!. 960
Dr.<PERSON> is highly qualified to lead WHO. @WHO @DrTedros @DrSenait. Cardiologist for Dr. <PERSON>
— <PERSON> (@khalidshash) May 22, 2017
Fortunately for <PERSON>’ fans, his opponents were unable to persuade enough WHO members states to withhold their support.
Dr. <PERSON> speaks at Chatham House. Photo by Chatham House via Wikipedia image. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.
A divisive victory, a divided country
Five months after <PERSON>’s political party declared a total electoral victory in 2015, the country exploded in protests that lasted almost a year. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 800 people died, and thousands of political opponents were imprisoned and tortured.
Since October 2016 and the declaration of a state of emergency, the Ethiopian government, in which <PERSON> served until November 1, 2016, has imposed some of the world’s toughest censorship laws.
You won a free election, congratulations. Now, why don't you try that here in #Ethiopia?!
— <PERSON> (@EthioLiberty) May 23, 2017
Protesters have demanded more respect and autonomy for ethnic Oromos, who are often left out of the country's decision making.
In fact, ethnocentric attitudes played an important role in <PERSON>’s remarkable journey to the WHO. <PERSON> is a top member of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant party within Ethiopia’s ruling regime. His meteoric rise to power started after he finished his doctorate in 1999, when he was tasked with leading the Tigray region’s health department. After two years, he was promoted to Ethiopia’s minister for health by the late Prime Minister <PERSON>, a Tigrayan himself. In 2012 when <PERSON> died, <PERSON> became Ethiopia’s foreign minister.
Tigray is one of the nine regional states that are federated based on ethnolinguistic compositions. 960