ADDIS ABABA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) Abiy Ahmed was appointed as the country's new prime minister on Monday by Parliament.

The ruling coalition voted in the 41-year-old former Minister of Science and Technology last Tuesday to take over the government of the East African country.

After the appointment, Ahmed was sworn in at a special session of the House of People's Representatives.

According to Ethiopia's constitution, EPRDF, which has a majority of seats in the parliament, had presented Ahmed for the post.

His predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn submitted resignation in mid- February after sustained protests mainly in the central and northern regions.

Desalegn said his resignation would be part of a solution to advance reforms aimed at easing the country's unrest.

Ethiopia has been reeling from deadly protests since 2016, especially in the two most populous regional states of Amhara and Oromia, over alleged political and economic marginalization.