Ato Legesse "Meles" Zenawi (b. May 8, 1955) is Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He was appointed to that position on August 22, 1995. He had previously been president of Ethiopia from May 28, 1991, until August 22, 1995. He gained power after helping the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) win a guerilla war against the government of Mengistu Haile Mariam in May, 1991.