chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority;
members appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8
June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did
not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections
to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of
the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution
stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the
National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible
voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were
postponed indefinitely

Judicial branch:
High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have
military and special courts

Political parties and leaders:
People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party
recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National
Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January
2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on
it

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic
Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement));
Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa
Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed];
Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS,
ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean
Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

International organization participation: