National Assembly (Eritrea)

The National Assembly (Tigrinya: ሃገራዊ ባይቶ, romanized: Hagerawi Baito) is the de jure supreme representative and legislative body of the State of Eritrea. Established under the unimplemented 1997 Constitution, it was intended to be composed of representatives elected by the people through secret ballot. The Assembly was to serve as the primary legislative authority, tasked with enacting laws and representing the interests of the Eritrean people. However, in reality, the National Assembly ceased to function in 2002, and Eritrea has since been governed by presidential decree, with no national legislative elections ever taking place.

The Assembly has 150 members, 75 members appointed (consisting mostly of representatives elected by the general population, of whom at least 11 must be women, and 15 members representing Eritreans living abroad) and 75 members representing the members of the Central Committee of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), the sole legal political party of Eritrea. According to the IPU, the National Assembly has 150 indirectly elected members. The National Assembly was composed in 1994, and its meeting place is located in Asmara.

AFP reported that Eritreans have elected 399 representatives in the country's six regions in a lengthy process that would lead to the formation of a constituent assembly, with the regional elections beginning on 4 January 1997 in some parts of the country and completed in others by 1 March 1997. As of 2024, direct elections had never been held: elections planned for 2001 were continuously postponed before being cancelled altogether. As of 2016, the National Assembly was described by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as non-existent, having not convened since January 2002. In practice, President Isaias Afwerki exercises legislative powers in addition to the executive functions granted by the constitution.