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ADDIS-ABABA, Ethiopia – A week after a radical reshuffle of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, the country's parliament took a further step toward gender parity by appointing the first female president of the country. country. 19659002] Sahle-Work Zewde, 68, a seasoned diplomat who has held various positions at the United Nations and participated in peacekeeping operations in Africa, accepted this position following the unprecedented appointments of women leaders of the Ministry of Defense and the secret intelligence agency. dreaded state organ that has recently had a facelift. (He now calls himself the Ministry of Peace.)
"In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a woman at the head of the state not only sets the standard for the future, but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life, " Fitsum Arega chief of staff to the prime minister, said on Twitter.
Although the position of president is considered largely as a ceremonial, involving the opening of Parliament and the nomination of ambbadadors, the decision to place Ms. Sahle-Work Selam Musse, media consultant and Gender, based in Addis Ababa, the capital, said: "This role has considerable symbolic significance.
Having a leader "speaks a lot for women and knocks at every door," she said. a country where patriarchy plays a decisive role in the political, social and economic structure of our country's politics. "
million. Abiy came to power in April and the appointment of Ms. Sahle-Work, who is now the only woman head of the African state, is the latest addition to a series of radical changes in Ethiopia. The country has long relied on a China-like model of government, emphasizing state-led economic growth and the removal of political dissent.
In six months, he officially ended two decades of hostilities with his rival and longtime neighbor, Ethiopia, Eritrea; started to relax a state-controlled economy and opened large industries to foreign investment; promised multiparty elections; released thousands of political prisoners; and allowed the leaders of an opposition group previously banned to return to the country.
His latest initiatives fit into a "reform mentality within the ruling party, a general push to undermine bureaucracy," said Jason Mosley, research badociate. at the African Studies Center at Oxford University. "Ethiopia is still, despite all development, a conservative culture on average. It is still predominantly rural and many women do not have the same opportunities as men.
Sudden changes have eroded old wounds and caused violence in various parts of the country, where ethnic tensions are particularly acute. Nevertheless, it is thought that the appointments of people such as Ms. Sahle-Work, a person relatively unrelated to the ruling coalition's policy, appease critics who worry that ethnic or political affiliations will poison effective leadership. .
"I am the product of a people. who have fought for equality and political freedom in this country, and I will work hard to serve them, "said Ms. Sahle-Work in her thank you speech to Parliament.
She also promised to work on women's issues. "If you thought I was already talking a lot about women, know that I have just started," she said in a quote widely circulated among social media users in Ethiopia.
Ms. Sahle-Work was appointed in June by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office at the African Union as Secretary-General. She was previously Executive Director of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya.
Ethiopia has made remarkable progress in a single generation to increase girls' enrollment in primary schools. UN Study
Women are more prone to disease than men, the study says. Although half of the country's workforce is composed of women, a majority of them are unpaid because most of them work as farm laborers. Female bad mutilation and child marriages are still prevalent, especially in rural areas, which account for about 80% of the country.
"We need a bold leader who sees women beyond the role of mother and sister, but who inspires
Ethiopia, Africa's second-largest country in the world. The most populous population that was synonymous with famine 30 years ago, is more organized, ambitious and centrally controlled than many other governments on the continent – the ruling power The coalition intends to transform it into one. a middle-income country by 2025.
Despite the frantic pace of progress, there remains a deeply authoritarian state – though Mr. Mosley has stated that it was precisely what had allowed Mr. Abiy to change things
"You can have this kind of radical reorganization of the genre, balancing a cabinet when it is authoritarian," Mosley said. "All the trade-offs needed in a more competitive political landscape partly help to prevent Western democracies from achieving these kinds of results."
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