A former exile, judge and leading opposition figure has been chosen by parliament to head Ethiopia’s electoral board - marking another significant appointment of a woman to a key public office.

Birtukan Mideska only returned to Ethiopia earlier this month after seven years in exile in the United States.

Ms Birtukan was sentenced to life imprisonment after the disputed 2005 elections.

Now the former judge will oversee the country’s elections in May 2020.

She faces a key challenge in restoring faith in an electoral board that has long faced accusations of being manipulated by the state.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has instituted wide-ranging reforms including making peace with neighbouring Eritrea, freeing political prisoners and welcoming back armed opposition groups that were once in exile.

He has appointed women to half the ministerial posts in his cabinet and last month parliament elected the country's first female president - Sahle-Work Zewde.