conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
local short form: Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

ER

transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly,
composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or
PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional
Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS
Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the
constitution, ratified in August 1997, did not enter into effect,
pending parliamentary and presidential elections; those elections have
been postponed indefinitely following the start of the border conflict
with Ethiopia

Asmara (formerly Asmera)

8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale
Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating
that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been
established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six
provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became
effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not been
recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the
US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were:
Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi
Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been reported that these provinces
have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern
Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central

23-25 April 1993 referendum was held with vote for
independence as the outcome; 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the
Eritrea Autonomous Region)

National Day (independence from Ethiopia), 24 May
(1993)

the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993,
was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet
implemented

operates on the basis of transitional laws that
incorporate pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's
Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post
independence enacted laws

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority
note: the president is head of the State Council and National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last
held 8 June 1993 (next to be held NA)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%

unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term
limits not established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss and
ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections
to a National Assembly are held; only 75 members will be elected to
the National Assembly - the other 75 will be members of the Central
Committee of the PFDJ

Supreme Court; 10 provincial courts; 29 district
courts

People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS
Afworki, PETROS Solomon]

Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ;
Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF ; Eritrean
Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC ;
Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said
NAWD]

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

chief of mission: Ambassador SEMERE Russom
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:  (202) 319-1991
FAX:  (202) 319-1304

chief of mission: Ambassador William D. CLARKE
embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone:  (1) 120004
FAX:  (1) 127584

red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is
green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive
branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle