ERITREA

[RIIGHAYE]

I was told by an Eritrean expatriate that Eritrea does not have a Cabinet, political parties, Free press. Can a country exist without all of these essential elements in its government. It is ruled through presidential decrees, that is whatever the president says becomes the law of the country like the Feudal system in the past: The king and his subject.

[Col. Barre Hiiraale]

I will be there in a few hours.

[James Dahl]

Eritrea is ruled by a single political party, like in Ethiopia. Also like in Ethiopia, there is a feeble and powerless political opposition that is allowed to contest rigged elections for appearance's sake.

Both Ethiopia and Eritrea are about halfway between Military Dictatorship and Parliamentary Democracy. Depending on what the ruling party wants, it moves further away or towards dictatorship. If they want more foreign aid, they act more like a democracy, make a big show of being free and democratic, until it looks like they might lose their monopoly on power, or their regime is threatened in any way, in which case they turn the screws tighter on the opposition, throw a bunch of dissenters in jail, etc.

Interestingly enough the TFG is heading in this direction as well.

[xoogSADE14]

[quote="James Dahl"]Interestingly enough the TFG is heading in this direction as well.[/quote]

The only difference is nobody fears the TFG "army" if they can be called that.