Ethiopia’s parliament has approved Taye Astike Selassie as the country’s new president, replacing Sahle-Work Zewde, Ethiopia’s first female head of state.
Taye, who has served as foreign minister since February, now takes on the largely ceremonial role, as political power in Ethiopia is held by the prime minister, currently Abiy Ahmed.
Sahle-Work Zewde, appointed in 2018 with significant praise for advancing gender equality in Ethiopian politics, reportedly had a falling out with Abiy in recent years.
On Saturday, she shared a cryptic message on X, hinting at discontent over staying silent for the past year.
Sources close to the 74-year-old former president revealed that she had been dissatisfied for some time and was looking forward to the end of her term, which was set to conclude this month.
During her presidency, Sahle-Work made repeated calls for peace, but it is believed she was displeased with the ongoing conflicts in the Oromia and Amhara regions.
In Amhara, federal forces have been engaged in fighting a local militia, leading to hundreds of deaths and accusations of crimes against humanity by security forces.
The new president, Taye Astike Selassie, 68, is an experienced diplomat who has served at the United Nations and in Egypt.
He is considered close to Prime Minister Abiy and was sworn in on Monday in front of members of parliament.
With Sahle-Work’s replacement, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan now remains Africa’s only female head of state.
Source-BBC
