Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government.
It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections. In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is missing, as when voters do not have a free and genuine choice between at least two alternatives.
Which African country has never held an election?
It is shocking to find an African country that has never held elections. Since Eritrea gained independence two decades ago, it has never held national elections. While local and regional elections are usually conducted through an indirect suffrage system, Eritreans have never had the opportunity to vote for a new president.
Concurring to HPL magazine, Isaias Afwerki has been president of Eritrea since in the blink of an eye after he driven warriors of the Eritrean Individuals’s Freedom Front to triumph against Ethiopia in May 1991, finishing the 30-year-ancient war for autonomy.
Eritrea, a country of roughly 6 million people on the Horn of Africa, is one of the world’s most repressive states. There is no freedom of speech, press, or religion.
The Constitution of Eritrea is the supreme law of Eritrea. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the State and source of legal authority.
Despite its ratification by the legislature, the constitution has yet to be implemented up-to-date.