Elections in Eritrea

The 1997 Constitution provides for a National Assembly elected by secret direct voting for five-year terms. It also provides for an indirectly elected President: the Assembly would choose the President by an absolute majority, with a limit of two terms. The formal system uses majority voting in constituencies, with a draw deciding an exact tie. Thirty percent of National Assembly seats are reserved for women. The framework envisages two ballots or votes and constituencies of about 25,000 residents or 12,000 eligible voters, with larger figures for constituencies using the women’s reservation. The Constitution was ratified, but current specialist assessments find that its electoral provisions have not been implemented in practice. An Electoral Commission is provided for in the constitutional and electoral framework, although no current national registration, election calendar or active national election administration is evidenced. Formal eligibility begins at age 18 for Eritrean citizens who live, work or are assigned in the relevant constituency and are not serving a prison sentence. A voter registers once in one constituency and uses an identity card or passport together with a voter card. The register is formally available for public inspection, and registration dates should be announced at least ten days in advance. Candidates for the National Assembly must be at least 21, have completed national-service obligations, obtain support from at least 5% of the relevant electorate and pay a formal deposit of 500 Nakfa for a National Assembly candidacy or 100 Nakfa for another candidacy. The formal campaign period lasts three weeks and ends three days before voting. State media are intended to provide equal free campaign access, while private campaign financing is prohibited. The formal voting procedure is personal, single and secret at the registered polling station. Assistance is provided for blind or disabled voters and people who cannot read or write. Early voting is provided seven days in advance for defence forces, police, security personnel and voters abroad. Proxy voting is formally available in specified cases, including medical incapacity, work obligations, temporary residence abroad and police custody. Counting begins at the polling station, followed by sealing and forwarding the materials to the sub-regional electoral office. Local results are announced immediately, while the Electoral Commission makes the formal final announcement. The formal framework provides review, recount, confirmation, correction and rejection powers at the sub-regional level. Complaints have short deadlines: 24 hours for registration issues, 48 hours for candidacy issues and five hours for voting-rights issues; counting complaints can involve the Electoral Commission or the Supreme Court. These national procedures do not currently provide a practical basis for recurring competitive national elections. Eritrea has had no national elections since 1993, no regional or zoba elections are evidenced, and the President has not been legitimized through recurring free popular elections. Reports from official sources document local elections in several sub-zones and regions in 2024 and 2025 for Area Administrators, Managing Directors and Village Coordinators. These local processes have included advance public awareness activities and, in some cases, replacement of expired terms of up to three years. Reported locations include Anseba, Central, Northern Red Sea and Southern Red Sea. Their rules and access conditions vary by sub-zone and official call, and the available evidence is fragmented. They represent limited administrative participation, not a substitute for national or regional representative elections.