Ethiopian parliament appoints FM as new president

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) — The two houses of the Ethiopian parliament on Monday appointed Foreign Minister Taye Atske Selassie as the new president.
The appointment followed the end of the term of the current president Sahle-Work Zewde, after six years of service as the country’s head of state.
The newly-appointed president was sworn in on Monday before members of Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives and House of Federation as the new leader of Africa’s second most populous nation.
With a diplomatic career spanning three decades, including his role as Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Atske Selassie has served as the country’s foreign minister since February this year until his new appointment.
Prior to his appointment as the country’s foreign minister, he also held the position of foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Zewde was elected as Ethiopia’s first female president in October 2018. ■