ኤርትራ « ƆERƏTƏRA »
— Officially: ሃገረ ኤርትራ « Hagärä Ɔerətəra »; دولة إرتريا « Daŭlaḧ Ɔiritrīā »; State of Eritrea.
— English: Eritrea.
— Seat of government: ኣስመራ « Ɔasəmära ».
— Status: Not democratic.
— Structure: Largely-autocratic one-party state.
— Governing party: ህዝባዊ ግንባር ንደሞክራስን ፍትሕን « Həzəbaŭi Gənəbarə nə-Dämokərasənə Fətəhənə ».
— Head of government: ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቂ « Ɔisajasə Ɔafäŭärəqi », president.
— Assessment: Unusually for a state in the modern age, no state-wide elections are held or even feigned. The current ruling party began as a rebel movement for independence from ኢትዮጵያ « Ɔitəjopija »; ኤርትራ « Ɔerətəra » was an Italiana colony, seized by the British in 1941, transferred to ኢትዮጵያ « Ɔitəjopija » in 1951, and subjected to increased centralization through 1962. By that time, the independence movement had begun, led by the ተጋድሎ ሓርነት ኤርትራ « Tägadəlo Harənätə Ɔerətəra ». The ህዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ « Həzəbaŭi Gənəbarə Harənätə Ɔerətəra » split from the ተ.ሓ.ኤ. « Tä.Ha.Ɔe. » in 1970, eventually driving it out of ኢትዮጵያ « Ɔitəjopija » altogether. ኢሳያስ « Ɔisajasə » became the leader of the ህ.ግ.ሓ.ኤ. « Hə.Gə.Ha.Ɔe. » in 1986. The party helped to lead the fight that overthrew መንግስቱ ሃይለማርያም « Mänəgəsətu Hajəlämarəjamə » in 1991, securing its own independence at the time. A referendum (the state’s only election) confirmed this independence in 1993, winning international recognition. The ህ.ግ.ሓ.ኤ. « Hə.Gə.Ha.Ɔe. » renamed itself as the ህ.ግ.ደ.ፍ. « Hə.Gə.Dä.Fə. » in 1994. In 1998, a two-year war began when ኤርትራ « Ɔerətəra » attempted to seize border territory (chiefly around ባድሜ « Badəme ») recognized as part of ኤርትራ « Ɔerətəra » but controlled by ኢትዮጵያ « Ɔitəjopija »; the latter was victorious, at a cost of tens of thousands of lives. The state has gotten more tyrannical, and ኢሳያስ « Ɔisajasə » more autocratic, with each year.
— FH: 7-7, not free. Econ: 2.40 (153), authoritarian.
— Updated: 2014 December 5.
O.T. FORD