GOVERNMENT
Eritrea's Government faced formidable challenges following independence. With no constitution, no judicial system, and an education system in shambles, the Eritrean Government was required to build institutions of government from scratch. Currently, the Government of Eritrea exercises strict control of political, social, and economic systems, with nearly no civil liberties allowed.
On May
19, 1993, the PGE issued a proclamation regarding the reorganization
of the government. The government was reorganized, and after a
national, freely contested election, the National Assembly, which
chose Isaias as President of the PGE, was expanded to include
both EPLF and non-EPLF members. The EPLF established itself as
a political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice
(PFDJ). The PGE declared that during a 4-year transition period,
and sooner if possible, it would draft and ratify a constitution,
prepare a law on political parties, prepare a press law, and carry
out elections for a constitutional government.
In March
1994, the PGE created a constitutional commission charged with
drafting a constitution flexible enough to meet the current needs
of a population suffering from 30 years of civil war as well as
those of the future, when prospective stability and prosperity
would change the political landscape. Commission members traveled
throughout the country and to Eritrean communities abroad holding
meetings to explain constitutional options to the people and to
solicit their input. A new constitution was ratified in 1997 but
has not been implemented, and general elections have not been
held. The government had announced that National Assembly elections
would take place in December 2001, but those were postponed and
new elections have not been rescheduled.
The present government structure includes legislative, executive, and judicial bodies. The legislature, the Transitional National Assembly, comprises 75 members of the PFDJ and 75 additional popularly elected members. The Transitional National Assembly is the highest legal power in the government until the establishment of a democratic, constitutional government. The legislature sets the internal and external policies of the government, regulates implementation of those policies, approves the budget, and elects the president of the country. The president nominates individuals to head the various ministries, authorities, commissions, and offices, and the Transitional National Assembly ratifies those nominations. The cabinet is the country's executive branch. It is composed of 17 ministers and chaired by the president. It implements policies, regulations, and laws and is accountable to the Transitional National Assembly. The ministries are agriculture; defense; education; energy and mines; finance; fisheries; foreign affairs; health; information; labor and human welfare; land, water, and environment; local governments; justice; public works; trade and industry; transportation and communication; and tourism.
Nominally,
the judiciary operates independently of both the legislative and
executive bodies, with a court system that extends from the village
through to the district, provincial, and national levels. However,
in practice, the independence of the judiciary is limited. In
2001, the president of the High Court was detained after criticizing
the government for judicial interference.
In
September 2001, after several months in which a number of prominent
PFDJ party members had gone public with a series of grievances
against the government and in which they called for implementation
of the constitution and the holding of elections, the government
instituted a crackdown. Eleven prominent dissidents, members of
what had come to be known as the Group of 15, were arrested and
held without charge in an unknown location. At the same time,
the government shut down the independent press and arrested its
reporters and editors, holding them incommunicado and without
charge. In subsequent weeks, the government arrested other individuals,
including two Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy. All of these
individuals remain held without charge and none are allowed visitors.
Principal
Government Officials
President of the State of Eritrea and Chairman of the Executive Council of the PFDJ--Isaias Afwerki
Director, Office of the President--Yemane Ghebremeskel
Minister of Defense--Sebhat Ephrem
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Osman Saleh
Minister of Finance--Berhane Abrehe
Minister of National Development--Dr. Woldai Futur
Ambassador to the United States--Ghirmai Ghebremariam
Eritrea
maintains an embassy in the United States at 1708 New Hampshire
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-319-1991) headed by Ambassador
Girma Asmerom.
Type: Transitional government.
Independence: Eritrea officially celebrated its independence on May 24, 1993.
Constitution: Ratified May 24, 1997, but not yet implemented.
Branches: Executive--president, cabinet. Legislative--Transitional National Assembly (does not meet). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: Six administrative regions.
Political party: People's Front for Democracy and Justice (name adopted by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front when it established itself as a political party).
Suffrage: Universal, age 18 and above (although no national elections have been held).
Central government budget (2005 est.): $485 million.
Defense (2004 est.): $185 million.
