The influential Addis Standard cited top government officials as confirming that Ambassador Sahle-Work Zewde, a top official with the United Nations, UN, was due to be Mulatu’s replacement.
Zewde was until recently, the UN Director General at its offices in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. She is currently the Special representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union, AU.
Sahle-work has a rich ambassadorial track record having served as Ethiopian ambassador to several countries previously. Her resignation from the UN role this week is said to be to allow her take the new position of president.
She is all set to be the first woman president of Ethiopia, but only after the joint session of the two legislative houses vote her to the role tomorrow. The vote is seen as a mere formality.
In May 2018 Zewde met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Nairobi, Abiy was on an official visit to the country and visited the UN offices, where she was still head.
She described meeting Abiy as a ‘privilege and distinct honour,’ local portals reported. She will now hold a role where she will work closely with Abiy in administering the over 100 million Ethiopians.
Outgoing Mulatu Teshome had been in the presidential seat since October 2013. He has worked with erstwhile Hailemariam Desalegn and now with Abiy for a little over six months.
Article 69 of the Ethiopian constitution says, “The President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is the Head of State.”
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