Isaias Afewerki
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Isaias Afewerki |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | First President of Eritrea |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1946-02-02 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Asmara, Eritrea |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
| Isaias Afewerki | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1993-05-24 |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | 1946-01-02 Asmara, Central Region |
| Political party | PFDJ |
| Spouse | Saba Haile |
Isaias Afewerki (Ge'ez: ኢሳይያስ ኣፈወርቂ) (born 1946-02-02) is the first and current president of Eritrea.
Isaias was born in Asmara, Eritrea to an Eritrean family of the Hamasien elite,[citation needed] Isaias Afewerki became an engineering student at Haile Selassie I University. He left academia in September 1966 and joined the forces fighting for Eritrean independence in the mid 1960s after the federation of Eritrea with Ethiopia was dissolved.
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[edit] ELF/EPLF experience
He joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1966. In 1967 he was sent to China for training with Haile Woldense and Romedan Mohamed Nur. One year later, upon his return he was appointed a political commissioner and Deputy Division Commander. Eventually he split from the ELF and joined a small group of combatants (later known as EPLF). Soon he allied himself with another two groups that splintered from the ELF: PLF1, led by Osman Saleh Sabbe and a group known as Obelyeen. In 1975 he split from Sabbe after Sabbe signed a unity agreement with the ELF (Khartoum Agreement).
In 1977 the group was renamed the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). Romedan Mohamed Nur was initially the Secretary General and Isaias his deputy. In 1987 he became the Secretary General of the EPLF. Isaias Afewerki is recognized as the architect of the strategy that eventually allowed the EPLF to surpass and eliminate the ELF as the foremost liberation movement of Eritrea, while at the same time increasing the effectiveness of his group against the forces of Haile Selassie and then the Derg regime of Ethiopia.
In 1982, together with Meles Zenawi of the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the combined forces of the EPLF and the TPLF assaulted the ELF forces and drove them out of Eritrea.[dubious — see talk page] That mutually beneficial alliance eventually brought the forces of both movements into Addis Ababa, toppling the Derg regime in 1991 and achieving Eritrean Independence by referendum two years later.
[edit] Presidency
After Eritrean independence was achieved, in 1993, he was elected the first president. During the first years of his Administration the institutions of governance in Eritrea began to be rebuilt. This included a top to bottom restructuring of the structures of governance from providing for an elected local judicial system to expanding the educational system to as many regions as possible.[1]
The once-firm friendship with the new Ethiopian government however deteriorated into a fierce border and economic dispute that turned into a deadly border war with Ethiopia, 1998 - 2000. Armed conflict with Ethiopia claimed more than 150,000 lives from both sides and ended with the signing of the Algiers Agreement on December 12, 2000.
In 2002, in an effort to mitigate the effects of the prolonged stalemate with Ethiopia the President's Administration created the Wefri Warsay Yika'alo. It is a comprehensive, revolutionary, national economic rehabilitation and development program in the aftermath of the destructive war with Ethiopia.[2]
[edit] Criticism
During the Eritrean-Ethiopian War Isaias was heavily criticized by many of his cabinet of ministers and party members (the G-15) for the way he handled the border conflict with Ethiopia. He reacted by accusing them of "a common guilt: at the minimum, abdication of responsibility during Eritrea's difficult hours, at the maximum, grave conspiracy.".[3]
Isaias has also been criticized for deferring elections in Eritrea; however, National elections were held in 1995 for half the seats in the National Assembly while the remainder were filled by election within the PFDJ. Regional elections have been held every five years with the last round in 2004.[4]
The Administration has prosecuted the editors of all but three local newspapers for failure to adhere to the Press Law. According to Reporters without Borders, Eritrea has imprisoned 13 journalists.[5][6]
The Eritrean constitution was ratified in 1997 by a constituent assembly but never fully ratified by the National Assembly. Isaias is blamed by his detractors for this while his proponents and Government sources suggest that implementation is dependent on the resolution of the border conflict with Ethiopia and the return of occupied territories.
[edit] Relations with Ethiopia
Due to his frustration with the stalemated peace process with Ethiopia, the President of Eritrea wrote a series of Eleven Letters to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Despite signing the Algiers Agreement, Ethiopia refused to accept all details of the boundary proscribed by the international boundary commission. The tense relations with Ethiopia have led to regional instability due to Ethiopia's lack of acceptance of the Algiers agreement it had signed.
[edit] Ruling party
The ruling PFDJ, which controls large financial, construction, transportation, communication and agricultural interests, is the only party allowed to operate in the country. However, the Administration has openly expressed the hope of laying down the foundation from which an effective multi-party state can evolve. Isaias has expressed the belief that many African countries have failed to implement a successful multi-party system mainly because they move too quickly in their attempts to mimic the West.
[edit] Isaias quotes
- "There is no victory without its people, no development without its people and People, who triumphed decisively through their national unity."[7]
- "Democracy is very important. Democracy meaning allowing majority or population to participate in the politics of every country...That is part of the software that we need to develop. But it should not polarize society."[8]
- "Sometimes when you have large population it becomes a liability. People speak about big populations. But they underestimate the fact that it is not numbers. It is not only the productivity of the population in one country that matters; it is also the quality of the productivity."[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Habtetsion, Efrem (2006-08-03). On Developing Higher Level of Education. Retrieved on 2006-08-03.
- ^ Perverted Reasoning From the Perverted Minds of "Les Enfants Terribles d'Erythree". Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ Eritrea: Party Puts its Case Against Dissidents. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ "Country profile: Eritrea (Leaders)", BBC, August 10, 2005.
- ^ "Country profile: Eritrea (Media)", BBC, August 10, 2005.
- ^ "Quick exit: BBC expelled from Eritrea", BBC, September 10, 2005.
- ^ Rena, Ravinder (2006). A Handbook on The Eritrean Economy. New Africa Press. ISBN 0-9802534-6-2.
- ^ Isaias Afewerki. President Issais interview with Bussiness Focus. Eri-TV. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ {{cite web url=http://www.shabait.com/staging/publish/article_006354.html|title=China-Eritrea relationship, China-Africa relationship will have a very significant impact for generations to come: President Isaias|accessdate=2007-03-21}}
