Politics in Eritrea

Political authority in Eritrea operates through the President, central ministries, local administrations and security institutions. The President heads the state and government and commands the armed forces. The country is formally a unitary state, but the constitutional framework remains incomplete because the 1997 Constitution has not entered into force. Formal rights, oversight and public participation therefore do not operate fully in practice. The six zobas link national administration with local government. Access to a public authority depends on the matter involved and may lead to a ministry, local authority, court or security body. This makes the responsible institution and the applicable procedure central to any practical interaction with the state. Eritrea also has a formal electoral framework, but national elections have not taken place since 1993. The National Assembly has not convened since 2002, and the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is the only authorized party. Local administrative elections reported in several areas in 2024 and 2025 provide limited local representation, but they are not equivalent to elections for national or regional political institutions. State administration and electoral representation must therefore be assessed separately when describing politics in Eritrea.