Regional elections end in Eritrea
Copyright © 1997 Nando.net
Copyright © 1997 Agence France-Presse
ASMARA (Mar 4, 1997 09:37 a.m. EST) - Eritreans have elected 399
representatives in the country's six regions in a lengthy
process that will lead to the formation of a constituent assembly, a
government minister said Tuesday.
The 399 representatives in regional assemblies, who have no political
party affiliations, will join 150 deputies in the national
assembly, including 75 members of the central committee of the ruling
People's Front for Democracy and Justice and 75
"non-members" of the party.
Local Government Minister Mahmoud Sherifo said the "non-members" would
include representatives of Eritreans living
abroad, who will vote for them in the coming three months.
The regional elections began on January 4 in some parts of the country
and were completed in others by March 1, the minister
said. The six regions are the South, Gash Barka, Anseba, Southern Red
Sea, Northern Red Sea and the Centre (Asmara).
The constituent assembly will exist for between a year and 18 months.
Once the constitution has been adopted, it will be
replaced by a national assembly to be elected for a five-year term.
A constitutional commission, responsible for drafting the basic law, is
due to complete its report during March.
Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia after the toppling in May 1991 of Marxist
military ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam and became
independent in 1993.
** To UNSUBSCRIBE from dehai, send mail to: majordomo@primenet.com **
** with the following text in the body of your mail: **
** unsubscribe dehai your-email-address **