Status verified as of 17 September 2026. Political positions change; this explainer describes the documented position on that date.
Governance since independence
Eritrea has held no national elections since independence in 1993, and Human Rights Watch reports that no legislature has met since 2010.[1]
A constitution was approved by referendum and ratified by the national assembly in 1997, but Human Rights Watch reports that it has never been implemented by the president, Isaias Afwerki, who has held office since independence.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Eritrea has had no elections since independence in 1993, and since 2010 no legislature has met. Attributed to Human Rights Watch (World Report 2025)
- Human Rights Watch, World Report 2025: Eritrea (Human Rights Watch, 2025) link, Eritrea chapter. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
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2.
Claim: The unelected president, Isaias Afwerki, in power since independence, has not implemented a plebiscite-approved 1997 constitution guaranteeing civil rights and limiting executive power. Attributed to Human Rights Watch (World Report 2025)
- Human Rights Watch, World Report 2025: Eritrea (Human Rights Watch, 2025) link, Eritrea chapter. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/eritrea/status · last substantive update 24 September 2026.