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| President of The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | |
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 Emblem | |
 Flag of Ethiopia | |
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| Style | Honourable President (Within Ethiopia) Mr. President (Informal) His Excellency (Diplomatic) |
| Type | Head of State |
| Residence | National Palace,Addis Ababa |
| Appointer | Federal Parliamentary Assembly |
| Term length | Six years |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Ethiopia (1995) |
| Precursor | The Emperor of Ethiopia |
| Formation | 15 September 1974; 51 years ago (1974-09-15) (de facto) 10 September 1987; 38 years ago (1987-09-10) (de jure) |
| First holder | Negasso Gidada (FDRE) Mengistu Haile Mariam (PDRE) Aman Andom (PMGSE) |
| Deputy | Abolished,Vice President of Ethiopia |
| Salary | 45,270 USD annually[1][failed verification] |
| Website | Official website |
Thepresident of Ethiopia is thehead of state ofEthiopia. The position is largely ceremonial with executive power vested in theCouncil of Ministers chaired by theprime minister. The current president isTaye Atske Selassie, who took office on 7 October 2024. Presidents are elected by theFederal Parliamentary Assembly for six years.
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Judiciary |
The role of head of state of Ethiopia had evolved and changed through the political transformation of Ethiopia. Theemperor of Ethiopia was the head of state of Ethiopia prior the 1974 revolution. Following the1974 military coup and abolishment of themonarchies of Ethiopia, the role of head of state was fulfilled by thechairman of the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia as de facto president of Ethiopia.
The chairman of theProvisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia was head of state and de facto president of Ethiopia. The first chairman of the Provisional Military Government wasLieutenant General Aman Andom, who was alsoChief of General Staff of the Ethiopian Armed forces.
The presidency was officially created by the1987 Constitution, which established thePeople's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The president was elected to a five-year term by theNational Shengo (legislature), with no term limits. The presidency was thechief executive of Ethiopia. The president was also the chairman of the Council of State, which presided as a legislator during the Shengo off session. The president had achief executive power to rule by decree if necessary and was also thecommander-in-chief of theEthiopian Armed Forces. The only president under the 1987 Constitution wasMengistu Haile-Mariam from 1987 to 1991. Following the flight into exile of Mengistu Haile-Mariam,Tesfaye Gebre Kidan served as the acting president of Ethiopia for only six days.
The end of theEthiopian Civil War in 28 May 1991 resulted in the end to thePeople's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia constitution. A new provisional constitution and theTransitional Government of Ethiopia was formed. The Transitional Government of Ethiopia was a de factosemi-presidential system with the president as head of state and the prime minister as head of government. During the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, the presidency hadchief executive powers, including appointing and dismissing the prime minister and the commander-in-chief of theEthiopian Armed Forces. The only president who served during the Transitional Government of Ethiopia wasMeles Zenawi.
A draft of a new constitution was declared in 1995 as theConstitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia transformed Ethiopia into aparliamentary republic, which effectively made the presidency a ceremonial and apolitical head of state.
The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia explicitly vests executive power in theCouncil of Ministers and names theprime minister aschief executive and the de jurecommander-in-chief of theEthiopian Armed Forces. However, the president presides as a ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces.
The first president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia wasNegasso Gidada, who served from 1995 to 2001.Sahle-Work Zewde was the first female president who had served from 2018 to 2024. The current president isTaye Atske Selassie since 7 October 2024.
TheFederal Parliamentary Assembly nominate the candidate for president.[2] Presidential tenure is not keyed to that of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly to assure continuity in government and the nonpartisan character of the office.
The term of office of the president is six years. As of 2021, there are no term limits for the president in theConstitution of Ethiopia.[3] Upon election in accordance with the constitution, the president, before commencing his or her responsibility as president, presents himself or herself before the Federal Parliamentary Assembly and makes a declaration of loyalty to the Constitution and the people of Ethiopia in the following words:
"I......., when on this date commence my responsibility as President of the Federal Democratic Republic, of Ethiopia, pledge to carry out faithfully the high responsibility entrusted to me."[2]
The 1995 Ethiopian Constitution lays out the duties and powers of the president of the republic to include the following:[2]
The president's powers and duties need not be countersigned by theprime minister to be valid. All the listed roles are autonomous powers of the president. The president represents the country in various delegations, meetings, and international platforms that may require the attendance of thehead of state.
If the president is unable to preside and exercise his or her duties because of illness, death, resignation, conviction or impeachment, the two chambers of theFederal Parliamentary Assembly will immediately designate an acting president. With no longer than a week time the Federal Parliamentary Assembly will convene by an extraordinary session to elect the successor and declare the new president.[4]
The president of Ethiopia is protected by theRepublican Guard, which is a special armed unit of theEthiopian National Defense Force. The Republican Guard's Counter Military Unit is responsible for protecting the presidential palace commonly known asJubilee Palace. The Counter Military Unit carries heavy assault rifles such as Israel-made Tavor-21 and American M-4's and long range snipers that can penetrate bullet proof glass. The Republican Guard also uses helicopters as well as armored vehicles.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)| Chairmen of theProvisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia (1974–1987) | .svg) .svg) .svg) | |
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| President of thePeople's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1987–1991) | ||
| President of theTransitional Government of Ethiopia (1991–1995) | ||
| President of theFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (since 1995) | ||
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Source: [New President Announced](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g401e086no), BBC News.