Eritrea

National elections are absent, and have never been held in Eritrea, rendering moot the assessment of electoral competition. With no political organization outside the ruling PFDJ allowed in the nation, the country is under one-party totalitarian rule. While a constitution ratified in 1997 called for democratic elections, Isaias indefinitely suspended its implementation and totally closed the democratic space in 2001.

Independent media, political leaders, civil society leaders, organizations, and regular people and citizens face overt and systematic retaliation if they openly criticize or challenge the regime. The regime unfairly censors dissenting speech, heavily manipulates media coverage in its favor, has unfairly shut down or taken measures that led to the shutdown of all major independent, dissenting organizations, and engages in transnational repression against dissidents abroad, including through surveillance or other forms of intimidation.

Institutions largely fail to serve as independent checks on the regime. The judiciary fails to serve as a check on the regime and is totally subservient to President Isaias. Most cases related to dissent never reach the courts, as the dissenters are held indefinitely without trial. Judges who rule contrary to regime interests face regime retaliation through firing or “freezing,” where they are stripped of their duties. There is no legislative independence; the transitional National Assembly was unofficially dissolved in 2002 with no replacement.