Ethiopia Parliament Elected Mulatu Teshome as New President

Ethiopia's parliament on 7 October 2013 elected Mulatu Teshome as the country's new president for a six-year term. Mulatu Teshome will replace Girma Wolde Giorgis, who first took the post in 2001 and was re-elected in 2007.
 
Mulatu Teshome was elected at a joint session of the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) and the House of Federation (HoF). Mulatu Teshome is the Fourth president of Ethiopia

About Mulatu Teshome
• The 57-year-old Mulatu Teshome, born in Arjo town, Eastern Wolega Zone of the Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia, received education in China. He holds a Ph.D.
• Before being elected president, Mulatu also held government positions including that of speaker of the House of Federation, state minister of finance and economic development and minister of agriculture.
• Mulatu, who like all Ethiopia is known by his first name, comes from the Oromo people, the country's largest ethnic group. 
• He has also served as Ethiopia's ambassador to China and Japan.
• He served as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Turkey until his appointment.

In Ethiopia, the office of presidency is a largely symbolic and ceremonial post and real power rests in the hands of the prime minister.  The present Prime Minister of Ethiopia is Hailemariam Desalegn.

About Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the ninth largest country in Africa and is located in the northeastern region, popularly referred to as the Horn of Africa. As a landlocked country, Ethiopia is bound to the east by Djibouti and Somalia, to the north and northeast by Eritrea, to the south by Kenya and to the west by the Sudan.  The total land area is 440,284 miles (1.1 million square kilometers).  There are ten major rivers (7000 km long) and lakes (7400 sq. km. in area).