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Eritrea

State of Eritrea

Civil law with customary lawSingle-party stateIndexed· 2026-08-03
Capital
Asmara
Population
3,700,000
Languages
Tigrinya, Arabic
Currency
ERN

Eritrea · Constitution

Constitution of Eritrea (ratified 1997, never implemented)

Drafted by a Constitutional Commission and ratified by a Constituent Assembly in May 1997. It provided for a unicameral National Assembly, an executive president elected by that assembly, an independent judiciary and a chapter of fundamental rights. It was never brought into force: implementing legislation and the elections it contemplated did not follow, and in 2014 the President stated publicly that the 1997 text was dead and that a new constitution would be drafted. No replacement has been promulgated. Describing Eritrea's constitutional order by reference to the 1997 document would therefore misstate the position, which is why this profile carries a research status.

The constitutional text

Drafted by a Constitutional Commission and ratified by a Constituent Assembly in May 1997. It provided for a unicameral National Assembly, an executive president elected by that assembly, an independent judiciary and a chapter of fundamental rights. It was never brought into force: implementing legislation and the elections it contemplated did not follow, and in 2014 the President stated publicly that the 1997 text was dead and that a new constitution would be drafted. No replacement has been promulgated. Describing Eritrea's constitutional order by reference to the 1997 document would therefore misstate the position, which is why this profile carries a research status.

Separation of powers

Unitary, with six regions and sub-regional administrations whose administrators are centrally appointed. There is no elected regional tier and no legislative devolution.

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