Ethiopia: Meles Zenawi’s successor faces challenges

But the ruling party, while disciplined, has always maintained a culture of secrecy and suspicion, stemming from the years of warfare in the northern mountains, when they looked to Enver Hoxha’s Albania for political inspiration.

As prime minister, Mr Meles nearly always operated by consensus. Some observers have called it “democratic centralism”. But this came with an often heavy-handed, authoritarian streak to his leadership as he held the ring in the face of opposition in the ruling party, or within his own Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) faction.

He has also seen off the challenge from the opposition who hold just one seat in parliament.

“Now that Meles is gone, the weaknesses of the regime that he built are more likely to be exposed, and the repercussions could be felt across the region,” says Emilio Manfredi, the ICG’s Ethiopia analyst.

Ethiopia lies at the heart of a troubled region. It has troops deployed in Somalia in the fight against Islamist militants. Eritrea has become an international pariah. Sudan and South Sudan are experiencing serious tensions in their new relationship.

Ethiopia, intent on raising its profile on the international stage, can ill afford to falter at this crucial moment.