2018 Ethiopian presidential election
2018 Ethiopian presidential election
On 25 October 2018, Ethiopia held a snap presidential election after President Mulatu Teshome resigned. Sahle-Work Zewde was elected president unopposed for a six-year term. She became Ethiopia's first non-royal woman to lead the country and the first female head of state since Empress Zewditu in 1930.
Ethiopia is a parliamentary republic, so the president is mostly a ceremonial figure, with real power held by the prime minister. The president does have some reserve powers under the constitution.
The president is elected by a joint session of Parliament, the two houses being the House of Federation and the House of Peoples' Representatives.
Mulatu Teshome had been elected in 2013 for a six-year term but resigned early, prompting this election.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:35 (CET).