Ethiopia
Ethiopia, 1995 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. In 1994, a new constitution was written that established a parliamentary republic with a bicameral legislature and a judicial system. In May 1998, a border dispute with Eritrea led to the Eritrean–Ethiopian War, which lasted until June 2000. On 15 February 2018, Hailemariam resigned as PM, following years of protests and a state of emergency, and Abiy Ahmed became PM.
Seat of power: Addis Ababa
Rulers
Negasso Gidada
President of Ethiopia, 1995–2001
Negasso had been Minister of Information in the Transitional Government of Ethiopia when he became president on 22 August 1995. He left office when his term expired on 8 October 2001.
Portrait of Negasso Gidada: Voice of America, Public domain, file
Girma Wolde-Giorgis
President of Ethiopia, 2001–2013
Girma was elected president on 8 October 2001, as a relatively unknown and a surprising choice, by a unanimous vote of the Ethiopian Parliament. The Ethiopian presidency is largely a symbolic office with little power. Most of the power is vested in the hands of the prime minister.
Portrait of Girma Wolde-Giorgis: Unknown authorUnknown author / Government of Ethopia, Public domain, file
Mulatu Teshome
President of Ethiopia, 2013–2018
While serving as Ambassador to Turkey, he was elected as President of Ethiopia by a unanimous parliamentary vote on 7 October 2013.
.jpg){kind=link}
Sahle-Work Zewde
President of Ethiopia, 2018–2024
Sahle-Work Zewde served as president of Ethiopia from 2018 to 2024, the first woman to hold the office. She was elected as president unanimously by members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly on 25 October 2018.
Portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde: 대한민국 국회 의장비서실, KOGL Type 1, file
_20221009.jpg){kind=link}
Taye Atske Selassie
President of Ethiopia, 2024 to today
Taye Atske Selassie, a diplomat and politician, has served as the president of Ethiopia since 2024. On 7 October 2024, Taye was sworn in as President of Ethiopia.
Portrait of Taye Atske Selassie: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Public domain, file
Culture
- In November 2020, Ethiopia began a military offensive in Tigray in response to attacks on army units stationed there, marking the beginning of the Tigray war. By March 2022, as many as 500,000 people had died as a result of violence and famine.
- Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to a cessation of hostilities on 2 November 2022. In mid-2023, relations between the federal government and the Fano militias deteriorated, resulting in a war in the Amhara Region.
- Ethiopia's principal orthography is the Ge'ez script. Ge'ez now serves as the liturgical language of both the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches.
- Ethiopia is often considered as the birthplace of coffee since cultivation began in the 9th century.
Picture
Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, and the highest capital in Africa.
Image: Abshewaga, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.