ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (HornPost) Ahmed Shide, a veteran Ethiopian government official who has served as the country’s Finance Minister since 2018, has been elected Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament.
Shide was unanimously elected and sworn in during the inaugural proceedings of the newly constituted House, as Ethiopia opened the seventh parliamentary term following the June 1, 2026 general election.
His election marks a transition from his long tenure overseeing Ethiopia’s federal finances to the leadership of the country’s lower parliamentary chamber. He succeeds Tagesse Chafo, who had served as Speaker since October 2018.
Ahmed Shide’s Government Career
Ahmed Shide has been one of Ethiopia’s senior government officials and economic policymakers for more than a decade.
He was appointed Minister of Finance in October 2018, a position he held during a period of major economic reforms, including changes to the foreign-exchange system, external debt restructuring and an economic reform programme supported by the International Monetary Fund.
Before becoming Finance Minister, Shide served as Minister of Transport from 2016 to 2018 and briefly held the position of Minister of Government Communication Affairs in 2018. He had also served for several years as State Minister at the former Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
At the regional level, Shide previously served as Speaker of the Somali Regional State Parliament and chaired the former Somali People’s Democratic Party. He later moved into senior federal government positions in Addis Ababa.
Shide holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Ethiopian Civil Service College and a master’s degree in Participation, Development and Social Change from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
New Leadership of Ethiopia’s Parliament
Shide’s election was part of a broader restructuring of Ethiopia’s federal parliamentary leadership as the newly elected legislature began its five-year term.
The House of Federation, the upper chamber of Ethiopia’s federal parliament, elected Muferihat Kamil as Speaker and Desta Ledamo as Deputy Speaker. The House of Peoples’ Representatives separately elected Ayelech Eshete as Deputy Speaker.
The appointments came as Ethiopia formally began a new parliamentary and governmental cycle following the June 1 general election and the formation of the new federal government.
Significance for Ethiopia’s Somali Community
Shide’s election also has particular significance because he comes from Ethiopia’s Somali community and previously held senior political office in the Somali Regional State.
Several reports have described him as the first ethnic Somali to become Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, placing him at the head of one of Ethiopia’s most important federal institutions.
As Speaker, Shide will preside over the lower chamber of Ethiopia’s federal parliament, which plays a central role in legislation, government oversight and the constitutional functioning of the federal government.
His appointment comes as Ethiopia begins a new five-year political cycle under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was also appointed by the House for a second five-year term and sworn in on October 5.
Prepared by:
HornPost staff
