| Bulcha Demeksa | |
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2005 |
|
| Member of the House of Peoples' Representatives for Mirab (West) Welega | |
| Member of Parliament for OFDM |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1930 |
| Nationality | Ethiopian |
| Political party | OFDM |
| Profession | politician, OFDM Chairman |
| Religion | Evangelical/Protestant Christian |
Bulcha Demeksa (born 1930) is an outspoken Ethiopian politician and businessman, and founded one of the largest opposition parties in that country, the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement. In 1967 he was appointed vice-minister of Finance before representing his country at the board of the World Bank. In 1974, when the Ethiopian Revolution started, he left Ethiopia and was hired by the UN administration. He took his retirement in Ethiopia in 1991 and in 1994 he created the Awash International Bank which became a success.[1] At the end of 2008, Bulcha was named "Person of the Year" by Jimma Times, the online version of the defunct Afaan Oromo private Yeroo newspaper. He was chosen for his work in the financial sector and his work for human rights and democracy as well as peace activist between different warring sections of the Ethiopian society.[2]
Bulcha Demeksa has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Meles Zenawi government and the opposition leader most referred by the international media. Alongside other opposition officials, he helped the creation of a larger opposition alliance known as "Medrek."
Bulcha resigned from his OFDM party's chairmanship in late 2010 but continues as an adviser for the leadership. His retirement from OFDM and his harsh criticism of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and on the 2010 elections were a regular feature story on dozens of private Amharic and English newspapers in the country.