Ethiopia gets first female President
Thursday, 25th October 2018
Ethiopian members of parliament have elected Sahle-Work Zewde as the country's first female President.
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 first speech as President, she spoke about the importance of maintaining peace.
Ms Sahle-Work is an experienced diplomat who has recently held a position with the United Nations.
She was elected after an unexpected resignation of former President Mulatu Teshome.
Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome submitted a letter of resignation on Wednesday to the country's parliament, according to state media reports.
Teshome, 63, took office in 2013 and had often spoken for a more democratic and inclusive government in the Horn of Africa country, which has faced political upheaval and unrest for many years.
Immediately before becoming president, Ms Sahle-Work was the UN representative at the African Union.
President Sahle-Work has served as an ambassador for Ethiopia in Senegal and Djibouti. She has also held a number of UN positions, including head of peace-building in the Central African Republic.
In the Ethiopian constitution, the post of president is ceremonial with the prime minister holding the political power.
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