On October 18th, Ethiopia appointed Tagesse Chafo as the new Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representative, the lower chamber of the bicameral Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly.
Tagesse Chafo is a member of South Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SPEDM), which is one of the parties constituting the ruling coalition Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
Chafo served in various positions in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region which is one of the nine ethnically divided regional states of Ethiopia. He was previously the head of the Capacity Building and Good Governance Department at the Ethiopian Policy Study and Research Center (EPSRC), one of major think tanks in Ethiopia.
Until his appointment, Chafo served as the Minister of Public Service and Human Resource. He will replace the former Speaker Muferiat Kamil, the first female speaker. The former Speaker was newly appointed as the Minister of Peace in the new cabinet led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia’s reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the new cabinet, half of which is constituted with female ministers. The new cabinet with 28 ministerial positions has women in the top security posts for the first time in the country’s history.
The new Speaker will lead the House of Peoples’ Representatives with 547 members.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
