The newly appointed Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde on Thursday stressed unity among Ethiopians and the need to sustain the ongoing reform in the country.
Zewde was elected as the east African country’s first female president following the official resignation of the former President Mulatu Teshome on Thursday.
She stated this while addressing the two parliament houses – the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (HoPR) and the Ethiopian House of Federation, the lower and upper houses respectively.
The president, in her acceptance speech before the two houses, vowed to serve her country and its people with her utmost efforts.
She also stressed the need to maintain the longstanding unity among Ethiopians as well as sustain the ongoing reform of the Ethiopian government and the governance structure.
She added that “the ongoing reform process, which embraces equal representation of women as well as people from different ethnic groups, will lead us to realise a prosperous, developed and united Ethiopia in the near future.”
Zewde, who is a well-regarded diplomat representing Ethiopia at global, continental and regional organisations including the UN and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, had also served as Ethiopia’s ambassador to various countries.
She had also served as Ethiopia’s envoy at the AU.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in June 2018 appointed Zewde as his Special Representative to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU at the level of Under-Secretary-General.
The appointment of Zewde, 68, came shortly after the approval of Teshome’s resignation request by the two houses’ joint extraordinary session.
Teshome was unanimously appointed as Ethiopia’s president on Oct. 7, 2013 while he was serving as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Turkey.
Teshome’s resignation, and the eventual appointment of Zewde, followed the recent Ethiopian government’s cabinet reshuffle.
The HoPR last week approved the appointment of 16 new cabinet members upon the endorsement of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in which only four of the previous cabinet members remained in their positions.
Exercising a parliamentary political system, the Ethiopian president has a ceremonial power, which includes granting amnesty to prisoners, officially opening the annual proceedings of the parliament’s two houses, receiving foreign ambassadors, as well as presenting the country’s annual targets to members of the parliament.
The prime minister is the head of government, in which a political party or coalition with the highest parliamentary seats, at least 51 per cent of the active seats at the Ethiopian parliament’s lower house, forms a government.
Similarly, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday congratulated Sahle-Work Zewde on her election as the first female president of Ethiopia.
Kenyatta said the election of Zewde, who was Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) is a resounding demonstration of the changing fortunes for the indefatigable and distinguished women of Africa.
“I am elated for Hon. Sahle-Work Zewde on her election earlier today to the position of President of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia.
“It is a historic moment for the people of Ethiopia, Africa and indeed the whole world,” he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Under Ethiopia’s constitution, the president is the head of state, but the office’s powers are ceremonial and include opening Parliament, appointing ambassadors following the Prime Minister’s recommendation and receiving the credentials of foreign envoys.
Ganduje Bribery Video is Real – Publisher testifies Before State Assembly Committee
Zewde, a career diplomat and international civil servant, joins the expanding league of distinguished African women to occupy the apex office on the continent with former presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Joyce Banda of Malawi.
The 68-year-old Zewde has promised to work hard to make gender equality a reality in the East Africa nation, calling on citizens to maintain peace.
Kenyatta recalled that when the Ethiopian diplomat served in Nairobi as the director general of UNON, they held several fruitful consultative meetings and developed a great working relationship.
“It is this relationship that I look forward to strengthening as we work together for the mutual benefit of our two countries.” said Kenyatta.