Sahle-Work Zewde(68)appointed as Ethopia's first female president Thursday Oct 25.2018

Ethiopia Appoints Africa's First Female President

Ethiopia on Thursday Oct 25.10.2018 appointed a woman to the largely ceremonial position of president for the first time, further increasing female representation in the government of Africa's second most populous nation.

In a unanimous vote, Ethiopian lawmakers picked career diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde(68) to replace Mulatu Teshome who resigned in unclear circumstances.

Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde receives a book of the Constitution from her predecessor Mulatu Teshome at the Parliament in Addis Ababa on Thursday  Oct 25.2018

Sahle-Work, who was born in the capital Addis Ababa and attended university in France, has been Ethiopia's ambassador to France, Djibouti, Senegal and the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Just prior to her appointment as president she was the UN's top official at the 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

Sahle-Work becomes Africa's only serving female head of state, albeit in a ceremonial role.

A handful of African countries have in the recent past been led by female presidents with executive powers, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia (2006-18) and Joyce Banda in Malawi (2012-14).