The list of power bestowed upon the Prime Minister is as long as what is given to the Council of Ministers: both have about 13 items each if one is to read the Constitution. And that was what Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has advised a reporter during a recent press conference he gave in his office.

“I would like to remind you to study the Constitution, carefully,” he advised this reporter.

The reporter was only wondering whether Beyene Petros’ (MP-UEDF) contention that the term of the presidency has come to an end during this Ethiopian year is indeed valid and if the government is planning to extend the current term by a year, violating what the Constitution says.

The Constitution puts the President as a head of state, although it gives incredible power to the Prime Minister and limits the presidency to ceremonial functions. Incidentally, the title of First Lady goes to the President’s wife, if there was to be one, and not to the Prime Minister’s as the state media would like you to believe.

Under the Constitution, the president serves for six years and is term limited to two terms. Thus, the current President, Major Girma W. Giorgis, has one more year to enjoy palace life or labour official duties, depending how you see it. The question at the gossip corridor rather remains who the ruling party has in mind to install as president come next year.

Names have been floating around for the past year. From Brehanu Dinka, former diplomat and a retired UN staff, to Gifti Abatiya, an MP of the EPRDF, the gossip corridor has been wild in its speculations. At some point, a strong candidate had seemed Bulcha Demekssa, MP-OFDM, and known to be one of the moderate politicians in parliament.

None of these names do, however, are ideal compared to what has been dropped at the gossip corridor these days. Brehane Deriessa, now serving as a mayor of the Caretaker Administration, is reportedly the next president of the republic. According to gossip, it came as part of the package when he struck a deal with the Prime Minister, after being identified by Andrias Eshete, president of the Addis Abeba University, and a trusted buddy of Meles, last year.

But he has to wait for one more year up until President Girma’s term comes to an end; thereby leading to an even more speculation to the mandate of the Caretaker Administration in Addis Abeba, gossip claims. When the CUD splinters such as Ayele Chamisso failed – and miserably - to successfully manoeuvre the world of politics in order to take the city administration, and after almost a year on hold, the Prime Minister moved in with the idea of a shopkeeper type of administration that is mandated for only a year.

If indeed gossip is right in its speculation on the next presidency of Brehane Deriessa, then Addis is bound to see another round of political drama where the Prime Minister will be forced to ask Parliament for the extension of the mandate of the Caretaker Administration. It is very unlikely that the promise by the Prime Minister to conduct a fresh election within a year is anywhere on the horizon; the national election board does not give that impression.

In any case, gossip does not see Brehane as a bad candidate for the presidency; a seasoned diplomat, a retired World Bank staff member and with no history of partisan political involvement, not a bad idea to crown him in a place where Emperor Hailesellasie’s might was once evident.