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Constitution of Eritrea
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<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p>In March 1994, the <a href="/facts/Politics_of_Eritrea/pzbBhzyX">Provisional Government of Eritrea</a> established a <a href="/facts/Constitutional_Commission/RFcRRxUr">Constitutional Commission</a> to draft a new constitution. The drafting authority was the transitional <a href="/facts/National_Assembly_(Eritrea)/VjJmSfwr">National Assembly</a>, a body consisting of 75 members of the EPLF central committee and 75 representatives elected by regional assemblies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>In 1995, a global symposium was held in <a href="/facts/Asmara/C6JQlXgV">Asmara</a> for the writing of the Constitution of Eritrea. Eritrean representatives worked closely on the legislation with a number of international experts, including <a href="/facts/Somali_people/lsrMaU57">Somali</a> scholars <a href="/facts/Ismail_Ali_Ismail/hrl942ke">Ismail Ali Ismail</a> and <a href="/facts/Said_Sheikh_Samatar/pX86AU90">Said Sheikh Samatar</a>. The following year, Ismail also helped train senior government officials in the Eritrean capital.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>After 27 months, the resulting constitution was introduced to the National Assembly in 1997.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> The constitution was ratified. As of 2025, it had not been fully implemented, and <a href="/facts/Elections_in_Eritrea/TuL3BAnK">general elections</a> had not been held, despite the ratification of an election law in 2002.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>The Eritrean constitution calls for legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. According to the constitution, a 150-seat unicameral legislature, the <a href="/facts/National_Assembly_(Eritrea)/VjJmSfwr">National Assembly</a>, decides internal and external policy, approves the budget, and elects the <a href="/facts/List_of_heads_of_state_of_Eritrea/Jxeu6dYr">president of the country</a>. As of 2025, the National Assembly had not met since 2002, and legislative and executive powers are effectively held by President <a href="/facts/Isaias_Afwerki/y3hXssYg">Isaias Afwerki</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://eri-platform.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Qwam-Ertra_Eritrean-Constitution-Eri-Platform-%E1%89%85%E1%8B%8B%E1%88%9D-%E1%8A%A4%E1%88%AD%E1%89%B5%E1%88%AB.pdf">Tigrigna version of The Constitution of Eritrea</a>[<i>permanent dead link</i>]</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Eritrea_1997?lang=en">English version of The Constitution of Eritrea </a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Eritrea_1997.pdf?lang=en">English version of The Constitution of Eritrea pdf</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="http://www.eritrean-embassy.se/government-agencies/eritrea-constitution/">English version of The Constitution of Eritrea</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161104131633/http://www.eritrean-embassy.se/government-agencies/eritrea-constitution/">Archived</a> 4 November 2016 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Human Rights Watch (22 December 2021), Eritrea: Events of 2021, retrieved 4 February 2022 <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/eritrea" target="_blank">https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/eritrea</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Babiker, Mohamed Abdelsalam. "Situation of human rights in Eritrea Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea" (PDF). reliefweb.int. UN General Assembly. Retrieved 16 December 2021. <a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A_HRC_47_21_E.pdf" target="_blank">https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A_HRC_47_21_E.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Widner, Jennifer (August 2005). "Eritrea 1997". Princeton University. Retrieved 1 July 2013. <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~pcwcr/reports/eritrea1997.html" target="_blank">http://www.princeton.edu/~pcwcr/reports/eritrea1997.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Ismail, Ismail Ali (6 July 2005). "Ethiopia and Somalia: Missed Opportunities and Some Challenges". Wardheernews. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2014. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120717051755/http://wardheernews.com/articles/July/7_Somalia%20%26%20Ethiopia_Geeldoon.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120717051755/http://wardheernews.com/articles/July/7_Somalia%20%26%20Ethiopia_Geeldoon.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Widner, Jennifer (August 2005). "Eritrea 1997". Princeton University. Retrieved 1 July 2013. <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~pcwcr/reports/eritrea1997.html" target="_blank">http://www.princeton.edu/~pcwcr/reports/eritrea1997.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Country Profile: Eritrea (PDF). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 2005). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/country.pdf" target="_blank">http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/country.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Plaut, Martin (13 September 2017). "Eritrea: a mafia state?". Review of African Political Economy. 44 (154). T&F: 662–672. doi:10.1080/03056244.2017.1374939. eISSN 1740-1720. hdl:10.1080/03056244.2017.1374939. ISSN 0305-6244. S2CID 158974839. Retrieved 28 January 2021. <a href="/wiki/Martin_Plaut" target="_blank">/wiki/Martin_Plaut</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Country Profile: Eritrea (PDF). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 2005). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/country.pdf" target="_blank">http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/country.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Plaut, Martin (13 September 2017). "Eritrea: a mafia state?". Review of African Political Economy. 44 (154). T&F: 662–672. doi:10.1080/03056244.2017.1374939. eISSN 1740-1720. hdl:10.1080/03056244.2017.1374939. ISSN 0305-6244. S2CID 158974839. Retrieved 28 January 2021. <a href="/wiki/Martin_Plaut" target="_blank">/wiki/Martin_Plaut</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>