Sahle-Work Zewde leaves the Parliament after being elected as Ethiopia’s first female President in Addis Ababa on October 25, 2018. (Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP) (Photo credit should read EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP/Getty Images)
On the heels of Ethiopian president Mulatu Teshome resigning from his post on Wednesday, the Ethiopian parliament has elected its first modern-era female president, according to Quartz. Although some outlets have reported Sahle-Work Zewde as the first female president, that distinction goes to late Empress Zewditu, who was the first head of state in Ethiopia from 1916-1930.
Currently serving as the Under-Secretary General of the UN, Zewde has promised to promote peace in her new role. “I urge you all, to uphold our peace, in the name of a mother, who is the first to suffer from the absence of peace,” she said addressing the Parliament on Thursday.
In the Ethiopian constitution, the post of president is ceremonial with the prime minister holding the political power. But that doesn’t mean Zewde is going to be silent in her position. She has previously worked to promote gender equality. In her speech to the Parliament, she told them she was only just beginning when it comes to talking too much about women.
