AU congratulates Taye Atske Selassie on appointment as Ethiopia’s new president

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has congratulated Taye Atske Selassie on his appointment as Ethiopia’s new president.

Earlier, the two houses of the Ethiopian parliament appointed Foreign Minister Atske Selassie as the country’s new president.

The appointment followed the end of the term of current President Sahle-Work Zewde after six years of service as the country’s head of state.

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The chairperson of the 55-member continental organisation “warmly congratulates Taye Atske Selassie upon his appointment as President of Ethiopia,” read an AU statement.

Faki also commended Zewde, who has been in office since October 2018 as Ethiopia’s first female president, “for her historic and impactful leadership during her six-year tenure of office as president.”

He further reiterated the continued support of the AU to Ethiopia’s journey toward deepening the country’s democracy and sustainable development.

Atske Selassie was sworn in on Monday before members of Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives and House of Federation as the new president of Africa’s second most populous nation.

With a diplomatic career spanning three decades, including 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.

Xinhua/NAN