Beyene Petros
Dr. Beyene Petros ዶ/ር በየነ ጴጥሮስ | |
---|---|
Born |
Hadiya, Ethiopia | March 11, 1950
Nationality | Ethiopian |
Alma mater |
Tulane University University of Wisconsin Addis Ababa University |
Occupation |
Biology Professor Politician |
Political party | Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum (Medrek). |
Beyene Petros (born 11 March 1950) is a professor of Biology at Addis Ababa University and a former member of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, representing an electoral district in Badawacho of Hadiya Zone. He is currently the chairman of one of the largest opposition political parties in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum Medrek.[1]
Personal life
Beyene was born in Hadiya, Ethiopia. He attended elementary and high school at local schools in southern Ethiopia. He received his BSc from Addis Ababa University, MS from University of Wisconsin and PhD from Tulane University all in Biology. Beyene joined the staff of Addis Ababa University in 1979 when he became a Lecturer. Later he became a Professor of Biology in 2009.
Political career
Beyene join politics in 1991 when the ruling EPRDF took power. He was then appointed deputy minister of Education but later resigned from government. He has been a major opposition political figure since 1995. Beyene was first elected to the parliament in the May 2000 elections. In the 2003 parliament, he served as chairman for the combined Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia, the Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition, and the Hadiya National Democratic Organization. When parties joined to form the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) in 2004, Prof. Beyene became the chairman of the UEDF. He by now is serving as chairman for Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum (Medrek).
References
- ↑ "House of Peoples' Representatives of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia", Ethiopian Parliament website (accessed 6 October 2009)
External links
- "Worrying Past, Bleak Year Ahead", essay by Beyene Petros (Addis Fortune website)
- "ETHIOPIA: Interview with opposition MP Beyene Petros" IRIN interview from 2002