The Government of Eritrea - The World Countries

Eritrea - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Eritrea, it was the country name derives from the ancient Greek name Erythra Thalassa, meaning "Red Sea," the body of water that borders the country. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); 'Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi K'eyyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash-Barka, Ma'ikel (Central), Semienawi K'eyyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

National symbols

Camel.

The flag

The National flag of Eritrea has .

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

More about the government of Eritrea

Constitution
Date of Independence	24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
National holiday	Independence Day, 24 May (1991)
Legal system	mixed system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Ratified by the Constituent Assembly 23 May 1997 (never implemented)
Amendment process	Proposed by the president of Eritrea or by assent of at least one half of the National Assembly membership; passage requires at least an initial three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and, after one year, final passage by at least four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Eritrea
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	20 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President ISAIAS Afwerki (since 24 May 1993)
Head of government	President ISAIAS Afwerki (since 8 June 1993)
Cabinet	State Council appointed by the president
Election/appointment process	president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term), according to the constitution
Most recent election date	24 May 1993, following independence from Ethiopia
Election results	1993: ISAIAS Afwerki elected president by the transitional National Assembly; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afwerki (PFDJ) 95%, other 5%
Expected date of next election	postponed indefinitely
Legislative branch
Legislature name	National Assembly (Hagerawi Baito)
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Number of seats	150 (all indirectly elected)
Scope of elections	Full renewal
Term in office	4 years
Most recent election date	2/1/1994
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	High Court (consists of 20 judges and organized into civil, commercial, criminal, labor, administrative, and customary sections)
Judge selection and term of office	High Court judges appointed by the president
Subordinate courts	Regional/zonal courts; community courts; special courts; sharia courts (for issues dealing with Muslim marriage, inheritance, and family); military courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Berhane Gebrehiwet SOLOMON (since 15 March 2011)
Chancery	1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone	[1] (202) 319-1991
FAX	[1] (202) 319-1304
Email address and website	[email protected] https://us.embassyeritrea.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Christine E. MEYER (since July 2025)
Embassy	179 Alaa Street, Asmara
Mailing address	7170 Asmara Place, Washington DC 20521-7170
Telephone	[291] (1) 12-00-04
FAX	[291] (1) 12-75-84
Email address and website	[email protected] https://er.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Asmara: A Modernist African City