Now that the Revolutionary Democrats are awash with electoral gains, as much in a windfall as they had said it was for the opposition in 2005, what is to come is a fight amongst each other to get the most powerful and rewarding political appointments.

These are no ordinary times. Half of the bigwigs from the days of the armed struggle will see their exits now and in the coming two years. Who, among the new breed of EPRDFites, will walk in the shoes of the veteran leaders of the party is open for anyone’s guess.

But the work of identifying people within the party for hundreds of positions in the cabinet, ministries, agencies, and foreign missions already began, long before the party was ushered its electoral victory.

A team in charge of the headhunt has been formed under the chairmanship of Addisu Legesse, the deputy Prime Minister, who himself is destined to give up his position soon.

There is Seyoum Mesfin who will be relieved of his role as Ethiopia’s lone minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) since 1991. Who his likely successor could be remains the million dollar question for those at the gossip corridors. The long held speculation that Tekeda Alemu (PhD), his deputy who has served in foreign offices as long as his boss, seems to have come to rest now. His place in the next five years will be in New York, the place he would love to be, leading Ethiopia’s mission to the United States, gossip claims.

Speaking of Tefera Walwa, minister of Capacity Building (MoCB), not only will he be retiring, according to his longtime wish, his ministry will be folded and downsized to a bureau within the Prime Minister’s Office, according to gossip. But until then, his people are serving in the headhunt committee chaired by Addisu, disclosed gossip. Others included in this committee are those senior officials from the Civil Service Agency (CSA), claims gossip.

Placements of assignments are not a cozy affair in the camps of the Revolutionary Democrats. There is a political necessity to balance the representation of “nations and nationalities” as much as quotas reserved for each party within the ruling coalition and beyond. The weeks ahead will show much haggling among the leaders of the four parties to secure places in the executive branch for their preferred nominees, anticipates gossip.