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The Margin★ Midterms 2026 · 124d
Africa & Middle East · reference

🇪🇷 Eritrea

One-party state with no functioning constitution

SystemOne-party state with no functioning constitution
Head of statePresident Isaias Afwerki (head of state and government, in power since 1993)
LegislatureA 150-seat National Assembly exists on paper but has not convened since 2002
ElectionsNo national elections have ever been held since independence

Eritrea under Isaias Afwerki is among the world's most closed states, with indefinite national service that the UN has likened to forced labour driving mass emigration. The 1997 constitution was never implemented and independent media were shut in 2001. A 2018 peace deal with Ethiopia briefly raised hopes of opening, but Eritrean forces later fought in the Tigray war and relations have soured again.

Live encyclopedic leader and election records · verified 2026-07-02
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