泽纳维最初是后军政府时代第一届政府的总统，接着又于1995年开始出任埃塞俄比亚总理直至去世。 近几年来，在泽纳维（他的名字Meles是革命时期获得的外号）的领导下，埃塞俄比亚的年GDP增长率高达7.7 % 。
Initially serving as the president of the first post-Derg government, and then as Ethiopia’s prime minister from 1995 until his death, Meles (his nom de guerre in the revolution) oversaw 7.7% annual GDP growth in recent years.