This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46301112
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian's Birtukan Mideksa appointed election boss | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A former judge and leading opposition figure has been sworn in as the head of Ethiopia's electoral board. | |
| Birtukan Mideksa is the latest significant appointment of a woman to a key public office. | Birtukan Mideksa is the latest significant appointment of a woman to a key public office. |
| Ms Birtukan returned to Ethiopia earlier this month after seven years in exile in the US. | Ms Birtukan returned to Ethiopia earlier this month after seven years in exile in the US. |
| She was among dozens of opposition leaders jailed after the disputed elections of 2005 that led to the deaths of hundreds of people. | |
| The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in the capital Addis Ababa says she faces a key challenge in restoring faith in an electoral board that has constantly faced accusations of being manipulated by the state - and will oversee elections in May 2020. | |
| Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has carried out wide-ranging reforms since coming to office in April. | |
| These include making peace with neighbouring Eritrea after two decades of conflict, freeing political prisoners and welcoming back armed opposition groups that were once in exile. | |
| The 42-year-old leader has also given half of the government's 20 ministerial posts to women. | |
| Recently he was commended for appointing renowned human rights lawyer Meaza Ashenafi - whose efforts to tackle the underage marriage of girls formed the basis of an Angelina Jolie-produced Hollywood film in 2014 - as the country's most senior judge. |