Ethiopia’s parliament has elected top U.N. diplomat SahleWork Zewde as the first female president of the country on Thursday after her predecessor, President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, had submitted his resignation.
https://youtu.be/pCpcxVdXau0
The parliament’s vote was unanimous.
The president under Ethiopia’s current constitution has a ceremonial function in Ethiopia. The real executive power is in the hands of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
The 68-year-old Sahlework Zewde is the only female head of state in Africa at the moment. The first female president of the continent, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, resigned earlier this year.
Before becoming president, Ambassador Sahlework served as the representative of United Nations Secretary-General at the African Union since July.
