A former political prisoner who went into exile in the US, Birtukan Mideksa is now centre-stage in Ethiopia as she oversees the country's first parliamentary election since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018 on a pledge to end decades of authoritarian rule.

Recommending Ms Birtukan, 47, to the all-important post of chairperson of the electoral board, the new premier described her as someone who would "never surrender, even to the government".

Many agreed with that sentiment as she had built a reputation for being brave and independent-minded as a lawyer, judge and politician.

Ms Birtukan contested the 2001 parliamentary election as an independent, but lost to the candidate of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), conceding that her defeat was due to her "limited popularity" rather than rigging.

She then became a judge, catching the attention of the public a year later when she resisted political interference in the judiciary by ordering the release of former Defence Minister Siye Abraha. His arrest on corruption charges was seen as an attempt to neutralise a formidable rival of then-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

"Siyes' case is the visible one. But they [Ms Birtukan and other judges] all tried to challenge the system invisibly for a while," said a friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Restless for change, Ms Birtukan moved back into politics, playing a key role in the formation of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) to present a united front against the EPRDF in the 2005 parliamentary election, which was widely seen as the most fiercely contested poll in Ethiopia's history, with the opposition claiming that it had been robbed of victory.

As a senior CUD official, Ms Birtukan was an obvious target for the security forces, and she was among thousands of people detained in the crackdown that followed the election. Almost 200 people were shot by police.
Prosecuted by a friend

An underground network that the CUD had built was crushed, but from prison, its leaders - including Ms Birtukan - rebuilt it, calling it the Kinjit International Council (KIC), to mobilise support for the campaign for democracy.

"They usually discussed and took decisions on the way to court," said a friend of Ms Birtukan, who preferred to remain anonymous.

A well-known character in Australian politics, Mr Joyce previously led the National Party from 2016 to 2018 but was forced to resign after public pressure over his extra-marital affair with a staffer.

"I don't want to dwell on the personal, except to say, hopefully one learns from their mistakes and makes a better person of themselves," Mr Joyce told reporters on Monday.

Analysis box by Shaimaa Khalil, Australia correspondent

Barnaby Joyce's return to Australia's second-highest office is significant not just because he makes his political comeback, but because of what it tells you about the mood inside the National Party.

There's significant ire among the party's ranks about the Prime Minister's increasing support of a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. Remember though, Mr Morrison has so far refused to commit to the date. But the mere suggestion of him inching towards more serious climate policy is enough to anger his coalition partners. Many National lawmakers have been public about their opposition to the government formally embracing the target.

Mr Joyce will likely take a hard line on climate policies, making any small steps the government takes towards emissions reductions very tricky.

It's yet another reminder of how politically toxic the climate change debate is here in Australia. The Prime Minister is stuck between two difficult pulling forces - international pressure from strategic allies like the UK and the US for more robust emissions reduction targets, and a coalition partner that is firmly wedded to the country's fossil fuel industry.

The first is about Australia's standing in the world. The second is about the Prime Minister's domestic political standing with elections looming.