*ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia on Thursday appointed a woman to the largelyceremonial position of president for the first time, further increasingfemale representation in the government of Africa’s second most populousnation.*
In a unanimous vote, Ethiopian lawmakers picked career diplomat Sahle-WorkZewde, 68, to replace Mulatu Teshome who resigned in unclear circumstances.
Ethiopia’s reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week appointed aslimline 20-person cabinet in which half the posts are held by women.
They include defence minister Aisha Mohammed and Muferiat Kamil who leadsthe newly-created Ministry of Peace, responsible for police and domesticintelligence agencies.
“If the current change in Ethiopia is headed equally by both men and women,it can sustain its momentum and realise a prosperous Ethiopia free ofreligious, ethnic and gender discrimination,” Sahle-Work said Thursday.
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Sahle-Work, who was born in the capital Addis Ababa and attended universityin France, has been Ethiopia’s ambassador to France, Djibouti, Senegal andthe regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Just prior to her appointment as president she was the UN’s top official atthe African Union. She is fluent in English and French as well as Amharic,Ethiopia’s main language.
As president she is expected to serve two six-year terms. – APP/AFP
