Ethiopia’s parliament on Monday reappointed Abiy Ahmed as prime minister, months after his party won the June general elections by a wide margin. The appointment was announced in a televised parliamentary session by the newly elected Speaker, Ahmed Shide, who declared that Abiy was “hereby appointed” to the office.
The reappointment follows the formal convening of the new legislature after the June polls, and it extends Abiy’s hold on the premiership. He is the leader of the ruling party, which the report describes as having secured an emphatic victory. The details here are based on a wire report by AFP carried by Channels Television.
The announcement came at the first sitting of the new House, where Ahmed Shide had just been elected Speaker. Under Ethiopia’s parliamentary system, the prime minister is chosen by the legislature rather than through a direct national vote, so the confirmation was a formal consequence of the ruling party’s majority.
The Political Backdrop
The reappointment comes as the government faces security pressure in the north. Channels Television’s related coverage points to two recent developments: a report on 4 October that federal forces control the Tigray regional capital while regional rivals met in Egypt, and a 23 September report of fighting between federal forces and Tigrayan rebels in the Afar region. The AFP report on the reappointment does not link these events to the parliamentary vote, and readers should not assume a connection.