The Constitution of Eritrea is the supreme law of

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...

. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the State and source of legal authority. It sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of government. Despite its ratification by the legislature, the constitution has yet to be implemented as of 2022.

Overview

In March 1994, the

Provisional Government of Eritrea The Politics of Eritrea and the Government of Eritrea takes place in a framework of a single-party presidential republican totalitarian dictatorship. The President officially serves as both head of state and head of government. The People's F ...

established a

Constitutional Commission Many entities have been called a Constitutional Commission with the general purpose of reviewing a constitution, or planning to create one. Afghanistan *Afghan Constitution Commission ** Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (August 2003) * Reigns ...

to draft a new constitution. The drafting authority was the transitional

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

, a body consisting of 75 members of the EPLF central committee and 75 representatives elected by regional assemblies. In 1995, a global symposium was held in

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...

for the writing of the Constitution of Eritrea. Eritrean representatives worked closely on the legislation with a number of international experts, including

Somali Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali ...

scholars

Ismail Ali Ismail Ismail Ali Ismail "Geeldoon" ( so, Ismaaciil Cali Ismaaciil, ar, إسماعيل علي إسماعيل) is a Somali writer and former diplomat. Personal life Ismail was born in Somaliland, in the former north-western British Somaliland protector ...

and

Said Sheikh Samatar Said Sheikh Samatar ( so, Siciid Sheekh Samatar, ar, سعيد الشيخ سمتر‎; 1943–24 February 2015) was a prominent Somali scholar and writer. Biography Early years Said was born in 1943 in the Ogaden in Ethiopia to Faduma and Sh ...

. The following year, Ismail also helped train senior government officials in the Eritrean capital. After 27 months, the resulting constitution was introduced to the National Assembly in 1997. The constitution was ratified. , it had not been fully implemented, and

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

had not been held, despite the ratification of an election law in 2002. The Eritrean constitution calls for legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. According to the constitution, a 150-seat unicameral legislature, the

, decides internal and external policy, approves the budget, and elects the president of the country. , the National Assembly had not met since 2002, and legislative and executive powers are effectively held by President

Isaias Afwerki Isaias Afwerki ( ti, ኢሳይያስ ኣፍወርቂ, ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the president of Eritrea since shortly after he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in ...

References

External links

Tigrigna version of The Constitution of Eritrea

English version of The Constitution of Eritrea

English version of The Constitution of Eritrea pdf

English version of The Constitution of Eritrea
Government of Eritrea

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