Lower Regional Assemblies of Eritrea are found in each of the six zones of the State of Eritrea. These Assemblies are responsible for setting a local agenda in the event that they are not overruled by the National Assembly. The Regional Assemblies are in turn popularly elected within each region. At the time of independence in 1993

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

was arranged into ten

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. These provinces were similar to the nine provinces operating during the colonial period. In 1996, these were consolidated into six regions (''zobas''). The regional electors elect the members of the Regional Assembly. However, the

regional administrator In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

is not selected by the Regional Assembly unlike the

National Assembly of Eritrea The National Assembly () is the ''de jure'' supreme representative and legislative body of the State of Eritrea. Established under the unimplemented 1997 Constitution, it was intended to be composed of representatives elected by the people thro ...

that elects the

President of Eritrea Since the establishment of the office of president in 1993, the head of state of Eritrea has been Isaias Afwerki. The president is also the head of government of Eritrea, as well as commander-in-chief of the Eritrean Defence Forces. As of 2021 ...

Background

While

was federated to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, and later annexed from 1952-1962, the Eritrean Assembly was the legislative body. Eritrea has a single-party

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

governed by the

People's Front for Democracy and Justice The People's Front for Democracy and Justice (, PFDJ) is the founding, ruling, and sole legal political party of the State of Eritrea. The successor to the Marxist–Leninist Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), the PFDJ regards itsel ...

or PFDJ (originally

Eritrean Liberation Front The Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF; ; ; ), colloquially known as Jebha, was the main Eritrean War of Independence, independence movement in Eritrea Province, Eritrea which sought Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and the ear ...

), a

totalitarian government Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...

. From the time of independence since 30 May 1991, the country has been continuing with a transitional government elected during the elections in April 1993. The scheduled national election in 2001 has been postponed indefinitely. The regional and local elections are conducted on a periodic basis on a restricted framework. All men and women of any ethnic or religious background are eligible to vote. No parties or groups other than PFDJ are allowed to contest and the elections are presided by representatives from PFDJ. Policy decisions should be centered around PFDJ mandate and opposition and dissenters have been imprisoned.

Regions

At the time of independence in 1993

was arranged into ten

. These provinces were similar to the nine provinces operating during the colonial period. In 1996, these were consolidated into six regions (''zobas''). The boundaries of these new regions are based on catchment basins. Critics of this policy contend that the Government of Eritrea was erasing the historical fabric of Eritrea while proponents believe that these new Regional boundaries would ease historical land disputes. Furthermore proponents of this policy argue that basing boundaries on an important natural resource would ease the planning of its use. The composition of the 150 members of the National Assembly is: 75 members from the Central Committee members of the ruling PFDJ and 75 others elected from the 527 member Constituent Assembly in 1997. The 75 members were elected by the 527 Constituent Assembly members from all the six regional assemblies.

Constitutional powers

Each region has a locally elected regional assembly while the local administrator is appointed by the

. During Cabinet meetings the President also meets with the Regional Administrators who report on the activities of their regions. The Regional Assemblies are charged with developing a budget for local programs and hearing the concerns of the local populations. Local programs included cultural events, infrastructure such as feeder roads, and to promote afforestation. The

is not selected by the Regional Assembly unlike the

that elects the President of Eritrea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Assemblies Of Eritrea Government of Eritrea