Ethiopia’s parliament recently approved the appointment of a new president, marking the end of Sahle-Work Zewde’s tenure as the country’s first female head of state. Sahle-Work, who was appointed in 2018 as a symbol of women’s empowerment in Ethiopian politics, has been replaced by Taye Astike Selassie, the country’s foreign minister since February of this year.

While Ethiopia’s political power resides with the prime minister, currently Abiy Ahmed Ali, Sahle-Work’s presidency was seen as a significant milestone for gender representation in African leadership. However, recent reports indicate that Sahle-Work had fallen out of favor with Prime Minister Abiy. Despite his backing of her initial appointment, the relationship between the two reportedly soured over the past few years.

“On behalf of the Ethiopian government, I would like to express my gratitude to His Excellency Sahle Work Zewde, who has served Ethiopia as president for the past six years.” wrote Abiy Ahmed Ali

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Sahle-Work expressed frustration, stating that she had been unhappy and had remained silent for the past year. According to BBC News, she also told BBC Amharic that she had been eager for her term to end, which was originally scheduled to conclude later this month.

“Tilahun Gesese: Teddy Afro: Ali Beer: Mahmud Ahmed.. They are among the wonderful singers :: “When the human being is upset and when time pushes him like a man: when he loses his way out, silence is the only hope,” says Mahmud when he sings “Silence is my answer” :: I tried it for a year” wrote Sahle-Work Zewde (English translation by X)

During her time in office, Sahle-Work advocated for peace during the Tigray civil war, but she faced criticism from human rights activists who felt she did not do enough to address gender-based violence and women’s rights issues in the country.

The new president, Taye Astike Selassie, 68, has a background in diplomacy, having previously served at the United Nations and in Egypt. He is seen as being close to Prime Minister Abiy and was sworn in on Monday in front of Ethiopia’s Members of Parliament.

With Sahle-Work’s departure, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan now holds the distinction of being Africa’s only female head of state. However, according to polls in Namibia, she may soon be joined by the country’s vice president, who is expected to become the new head of state after Namibia’s general elections.

Sources:

• BBC News
• Sahle-Work Zewde’s social media post on X