POLITICIAN

Meles Zenawi

1955 - 2012

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Meles Zenawi Asres (Tigringa and Amharic: መለስ ዜናዊ ኣስረስ; pronounced [mɛllɛs zenawi asrɛs] ), born Legesse Zenawi Asres (8 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian politician and former rebel militant commander who served as president of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and as prime minister from 1995 until his death in 2012. Born in Adwa to an Ethiopian father and an Eritrean mother, Meles became actively involved in politics after changing his original first name from Legesse to Meles, adopted following the execution of fellow university student Meles Takele by the Derg government in 1975. In that year, he left Haile Selassie I University to join the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and fight against the Derg (the Mengistu Haile Mariam-led military dictatorship in Ethiopia). In 1989, he became the chairman of the TPLF, and the head of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) after its formation in 1988. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Meles Zenawi is the 6,427th most popular politician (down from 6,317th in 2019), the 24th most popular biography from Ethiopia (down from 17th in 2019) and the 21st most popular Ethiopian Politician.

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Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, Meles Zenawi ranks 6,427 out of 19,576. Before him are Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, Emperor Duzong, Franz Pfeffer von Salomon, Per Albin Hansson, Cornelius A. Smith, and Arsames. After him are Prince William of Baden, Xiao Xin, Nicolas Catinat, Cerdic of Wessex, Hubert Pierlot, and Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1955, Meles Zenawi ranks 91. Before him are Billy Milligan, Michael Schenker, Adem Jashari, Mark Hollis, Michael Rooker, and Matthias Jabs. After him are Alessandro Altobelli, Yo-Yo Ma, Deborra-Lee Furness, John O. Brennan, Mira Furlan, and Simon Rattle. Among people deceased in 2012, Meles Zenawi ranks 94. Before him are Gore Vidal, Alexander Arutiunian, Miguel de la Madrid, Maurice Herzog, Dorothea Tanning, and Santiago Carrillo. After him are Warda Al-Jazairia, Estanislau Basora, Kathryn Joosten, Alfred Schmidt, Galina Vishnevskaya, and Sid Watkins.

Others Born in 1955

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In Ethiopia

Among people born in Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi ranks 24 out of 105. Before him are Amha Selassie (1916), Fasilides (1603), Dawit II (1496), Girma Wolde-Giorgis (1924), Susenyos I (1572), and Hailemariam Desalegn (1965). After him are Abdiqasim Salad (1941), Gelawdewos (1522), Abdullah ibn Ja'far (650), Mulatu Teshome (1955), Tekle Giyorgis II (1836), and Kaleb of Axum (500).

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Among POLITICIANS In Ethiopia

Among politicians born in Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi ranks 21. Before him are Amha Selassie (1916), Fasilides (1603), Dawit II (1496), Girma Wolde-Giorgis (1924), Susenyos I (1572), and Hailemariam Desalegn (1965). After him are Abdiqasim Salad (1941), Mulatu Teshome (1955), Tekle Giyorgis II (1836), Kaleb of Axum (500), Taytu Betul (1851), and Negasso Gidada (1943).

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