As late as last week, leaders of Revolutionary Democrats were still busy fine tuning their structure that is set out to assume the leadership of the capital. There was, indeed, so much back and forth and inter-party negotiations, according to gossip. Selecting people to fill the District Offices and to stand as Bureau Chiefs, and Members of Cabinet was indeed a precarious issue.

For instance, from what gossip corridors were informed, Aster Mammo, minister of Sports and Youth, was meant to be Speaker of the 138-seat Council. This will not happen, gossip claims, for she would remain with her ministerial portfolio. That opens the position of Speaker in the Council, hotly contested for within the four groups in the ruling party.

The other most sought after position has been that of the Deputy Mayor. Here, the Revolutionary Democrats were hard on the selection process after what was originally thought to be a position for Melaku Fenta, now minister of Revenues. Other party members took this proposition to task. Only a week ago, it had appeared very unlikely for him to assume such a position, and that he would continue with his passion for reforming the Revenue Agency the way he helped planned it. After all, his agency will be downsized to the level of authority, after it enjoyed the adjective of “ministry” for less than a decade.

Who then would serve as Deputy to Kuma Demeksa is also a move to watch out for come next Tuesday.

Nonetheless, gossip noticed that many of the Bureau Heads are to come from the Oromia and southern regional states, such as Mekuria Haile, from Guraghe Zone, who will be general manager of the City Administration, and Redwan, from Silte Zone, to assume the city’s Bureau of Information and Culture, while Daba Megersa, mayor of Burayu town, and Mulugeta Telila, chief of Oromia Justice Bureau, will be members of the Cabinet.

Another individual to watch out for is Simon Mechale, director-general of the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Agency, also from the south; left undisturbed, Simon has managed to survive for over 15 years being in charge of the nation’s massive relief operation, despite upheavals in the political landscape, particularly in the past decade. If there is anyone to rival him for staying in one office for far too long, it ought to be his fellow country-man from the south, Teklewold Atnafu, governor of the Central Bank.

A state reform process came to upset his sea of stability in a midst of bureaucratic volatility. His agency was folded and fell under the wing of a department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, leaving him no choice but to move on to another place. A cabinet position within the City Administration is not a bad idea after all, according to gossip.

Next week and the subsequent days will be a time to congratulate many people: The city will be awash with appointments. Starting with the 137 council elects that will start crowding the municipality, this will be followed by close to 100 people being installed in the 10 districts, and close to 900 others in 99 kebelles.

Right after the handover of City Government to these people on Tuesday, all are invited to a state dinner to be hosted by Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, gossip discovered.