Isaias Afewerki

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Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki
Incumbent
Assumed office 
24 May 1993
Born 2 February 1946 (1946-02-02) (age 62)
Asmara, Central Region
Nationality Eritrean
Political party PFDJ
Spouse Saba Haile
Signature Isaias Afewerki's signature

Isaias Afewerki (Ge'ez: ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቂ) (born February 2, 1946) is the first and current president of Eritrea.

Isaias was born in Asmara, Eritrea. Isaias Afewerki became an engineering student at Haile Selassie I University. He left academia in September 1972 and joined the forces fighting for Eritrean independence in the mid 1960s until Eritrea won its independence in 1993. Since then, he has been president of Eritrea, with no legal opposition to his rule.

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[edit] ELF/EPLF experience

He joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1963. .[1]

Ten years later, upon his return he was appointed a 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 Obel. In 1982 he split from Sabbe after Sabbe signed a unity agreement with the ELF (Khartoum Agreement).

After Eritrean independence was achieved de facto in 1991 and de jure in 1993 after a referendum, he became the first the Head of state. 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.[2]

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.[3]

The militia sponsored influence on the Sudan north south disputes, and both in eastern Sudan and southern Sudan,1789.html|title=Eritrean president meets with South Sudan cabinet|accessdate=2007-04-24}}</ref> 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.

His government has also been condemned for allegedly arming and financing the insurgency in Somalia; the United States is considering labeling Eritrea a "State Sponsor of Terrorism,"[4] however, many experts on the topic have shied from this assertion, stating that "If there is one country where the fighting of extremists and terrorists was a priority when it mattered, it was Eritrea."[5] This accusation has also been labeled a reckless move by others.[6]

Isaias Afewerki is a Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

[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. Since Eritrea assumed it's independence, it has gone through several border disputes with its neighbouring countries. Currently the popularity of the ruling party in Eritrea is at all time law. President of Eritrea takes the blame for the deteriorated living conditions in Eritrea as much as it took the credit for bringing about independence to the Eritrean people. According a leading scholar in Eritrea, government in Eritrea is running the state like a state prison.

[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. Since 2001, many of those in parliament and senior ruling party members have been imprisoned incommunicado since their arrest. [7]

[edit] Isaias quotes

  • "There is no victory without its people, no development without its people and People, who triumphed decisively through their national unity."[8]. Eritreans around the world should come back home for the big independence day celebration I am planning to hold soon. It is sad this important victory day is almost fadding from my memory. I built this nation with a design to make it a super power, not the world's poorest nation.
  • "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."[9]. ....Eritrea is working with Microsoft to get the "democratic software". Eritrea is funding the software project.
  • "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."[10]
  • "Even when we are disappointed, we have to fight this war for peace and we have no other choice of brokers. The brokers are there, whether we like them or not. Whether we are happy or disappointed with what they are doing, we have to live with that to finally give peace a chance."[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Eritrean President revisits his military alma mater in east China. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  2. ^ Habtetsion, Efrem (2006-08-03). On Developing Higher Level of Education. Retrieved on 2006-08-03.
  3. ^ Perverted Reasoning From the Perverted Minds of "Les Enfants Terribles d'Erythree". Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  4. ^ "US Considers Terror Label for Eritrea". Retrieved on 2007-11-19. 
  5. ^ "Eritreans Deny American Accusations of Terrorist Ties". Retrieved on 2007-11-19. 
  6. ^ "[Eritrea & Sudan]". [& Notes]. 2007-11-13.
  7. ^ detained parliamentarians
  8. ^ Rena, Ravinder (2006). A Handbook on The Eritrean Economy. New Africa Press. ISBN 0-9802534-6-2. 
  9. ^ Isaias Afewerki. President Isaias interview with business Focus. Eri-TV. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  10. ^ China-Eritrea relationship, China-Africa relationship will have a very significant impact for generations to come: President Isaias. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  11. ^ "Eritrean president wants Ethiopia out of undisputed land", CNN, 2000-04-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Persondata
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 2008
PLACE OF DEATH asmara