ADDIS ABABA (Halbeeg News) – Ethiopian parliament has approved Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president.
Ms. Sahle-Work who seasoned diplomat currently is U.N. under-secretary-general and special representative of the secretary general to the African Union.
Her election to the ceremonial position comes a week after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed a cabinet with half the posts taken up by women.
In her acceptance speech, President Sahle-Work spoke about the importance of maintaining peace, local media say.
She replaces Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, who tendered his resignation to parliament earlier on Wednesday.
Mr. Teshome has been serving as president since 2013 after he took over from his predecessor, President Girma Woldeghioris who is in retirement now.
The first president under the current regime was the late Meles Zenawi who later relegated the position of the presidency (“constitutionally”) entirely into a ceremonial one as a prime ministerial system of government was introduced soon after the “transitional period.”
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