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67-579: The People's Front for Democracy and Justice ( Tigrinya : ህዝባዊ ግንባር ንደሞክራስን ፍትሕን , PFDJ ) is the founding, ruling, and sole legal political party of the State of Eritrea . The successor to the Marxist–Leninist Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), the PFDJ regards itself as a left-wing nationalist party, though it holds itself open to nationalists of any political affiliation. The leader of

134-525: A Tigrayan , that is a native of Tigray , who also speaks the Tigrinya language, is referred to in Tigrinya as təgraway (male), təgrawäyti (female), tägaru (plural). Bəher roughly means "nation" in the ethnic sense of the word in Tigrinya, Tigre , Amharic and Ge'ez. The Jeberti in Eritrea also speak Tigrinya. Tigrinya is the most widely spoken language in Eritrea (see Demographics of Eritrea ), and

201-603: A broad social basis, enabling participation of all the people in both the rural and urban areas. Democracy as an important principle for the political system's establishment is defined in a more general way by invoking the establishment of a people-based institution and public participation in decision making from the grass-roots to the national level. In this regard, the PFDJ provides a specific approach in-line with historical development and conditions of Eritrean society. The party states that its understanding of democracy emphasizes its context rather than its external manifestations. In

268-549: A colony of the Kingdom of Italy in 1889. The colonial period saw a large influx of Italians to the country, particularly during the fascist period . However, despite the substantial Italian Eritrean community, mixed-race Eritreans were uncommon, as Italians and Africans were prohibited from marrying or having sexual relations under the Italian racial laws . Eritrea was under British administration from 1941 to 1952, at which point it

335-559: A first or second language. The Beja also include the Beni-Amer people , who have retained their native Beja language alongside Tigre. According to the CIA, the Kunama constitute around 2% of Eritrea's population. They mainly live in the country's Gash Barka Region , as well as in adjacent parts of Ethiopia's Tigray Region . Many of them reside in the contested border village of Badme . Their language

402-481: A legal vacuum. A committee of former senior fighters reviewed the old Ethiopian law regime to adapt the law to the newly formed state and make it compatible with the values and principles of the EPLF. Reviews revealed that basic principles of human rights and procedures of due process and models of judicial independence were not emphasized. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the sole legal party in Eritrea. There

469-637: A nomadic and pastoralist people, related to the Tigrinya and to the Beja people . They are a predominantly Muslim nomadic people who inhabit the northern, western, and coastal lowlands of Eritrea, where they constitute 30% of local residents. Some also inhabit areas in eastern Sudan. 95% of the Tigre people adhere to the Islamic religion Sunni Islam , but there are a small number of Christians among them as well (often referred to as

536-475: A pluralist political system and as adopted in the Second Congress of the EPLF – during the liberation struggle – in 1987. The first attempt of the PFDJ to influence the country's norms and values system immediately after the end of the independence war failed because the fighters were in the minority. The 1998–2000 border conflicts with Ethiopia presented the PFDJ with a second chance to impose its ideology on

603-693: A province in 1962. In the 1960s and 1970s, the ELF undertook a systematic campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Ethiopian government. A faction of the ELF broke away in 1970 to form the Eritrean People's Liberation Front. The EPLF managed to secure control of much of the Eritrean countryside and build effective administrations in the areas it controlled. Fighting that broke out between the EPLF, ELF, and other Eritrean rebel groups in 1981 prevented further military gains, but

670-540: A source of power and unity. The national system should be secular, separate from religion, but respectful of the equality of established traditional religions. In short, nationhood is the basis of all political institutions and policies. The National Charter of the PFDJ was adopted in 1994 and sets out the key objectives the PFDJ is striving to achieve. Those include: These six goals are supported by six basic principles which can serve as guidelines for political activities. These are national unity, active public participation,

737-601: A standard. Even though the most spread and used in, for example books, movies and news is the Asmara dialect. For the representation of Tigrinya sounds, this article uses a modification of a system that is common (though not universal) among linguists who work on Ethiopian Semitic languages , but differs somewhat from the conventions of the International Phonetic Alphabet . Tigrinya has a fairly typical set of phonemes for an Ethiopian Semitic language. That is, there

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804-447: A temporary parliament and a nominally independent judiciary – did not actually pose checks on the executive power. The cabinet did not provide a platform for debates. The military remained under the president's control. The PFDJ has not held a party convention since January 2002. Eritrean nationalism constitutes the core of PFDJ's ideology because it is perceived as a necessary process within the overall nation-building effort. To that end,

871-512: A word, the cluster is broken up with the introduction of an epenthetic vowel -ə- , and when two consonants (or one geminated consonant) would otherwise end a word, the vowel -i appears after them, or (when this happens because of the presence of a suffix) -ə- is introduced before the suffix. For example, Stress is neither contrastive nor particularly salient in Tigrinya. It seems to depend on gemination, but it has apparently not been systematically investigated. Grammatically, Tigrinya

938-405: Is ä, the first column in the table. However, since the pharyngeal and glottal consonants of Tigrinya (and other Ethiopian Semitic languages) cannot be followed by this vowel, the symbols in the first column for those consonants are pronounced with the vowel a, exactly as in the fourth column. These redundant symbols are falling into disuse in Tigrinya and are shown with a dark gray background in

1005-488: Is a set of ejective consonants and the usual seven-vowel system. Unlike many of the modern Ethiopian Semitic languages, Tigrinya has preserved the two pharyngeal consonants which were apparently part of the ancient Geʽez language and which, along with [ xʼ ] , voiceless velar ejective fricative or voiceless uvular ejective fricative , make it easy to distinguish spoken Tigrinya from related languages such as Amharic, though not from Tigre, which has also maintained

1072-510: Is a typical Ethiopian Semitic (ES) language in most ways: Tigrinya grammar is unique within the Ethiopian Semitic language family in several ways: Tigrinya is written in the Geʽez script , originally developed for Geʽez. The Ethiopic script is an abugida : each symbol represents a consonant+vowel syllable, and the symbols are organized in groups of similar symbols on the basis of both

1139-462: Is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken in Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia 's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples respectively. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. Although it differs markedly from the Geʽez (Classical Ethiopic) language, for instance in having phrasal verbs, and in using a word order that places the main verb last instead of first in

1206-408: Is called Kunama . Although some Kunama still practice traditional beliefs, most are converts to either Christianity (Roman Catholic and Protestant) or Islam. The Nara represent under 5% of the nation's population. They principally reside along the south-western border with Sudan and Ethiopia. They are generally Muslim, with a few Christians and some practising their indigenous beliefs. Their language

1273-479: Is called Nara . The Rashaida are one of Eritrea's nine recognized ethnic groups. They represent around 2% of the population of Eritrea. The Rashaida reside in the northern coastal lowlands of Eritrea and the northern eastern coasts of Sudan. They are predominantly Muslim and are the only ethnic group in Eritrea to have Arabic as their mother tongue, specifically the Hejazi dialect . The Rashaida first came to Eritrea in

1340-525: Is especially clear from verb roots in which one consonant is realized as one or the other allophone depending on what precedes it. For example, for the verb meaning ' cry ' , which has the triconsonantal root √b-k-y, there are forms such as ምብካይ /məbkaj/ ( ' to cry ' ) and በኸየ /bɐxɐjɐ/ ( ' he cried ' ), and for the verb meaning ' steal ' , which has the triconsonantal root √s-r-kʼ, there are forms such as ይሰርቁ /jəsɐrkʼu/ ( ' they steal ' ) and ይሰርቕ /jəsɐrrəxʼ/ ( ' he steals ' ). What

1407-453: Is especially interesting about these pairs of phones is that they are distinguished in Tigrinya orthography. Because allophones are completely predictable, it is quite unusual for them to be represented with distinct symbols in the written form of a language. A Tigrinya syllable may consist of a consonant-vowel or a consonant-vowel-consonant sequence. When three consonants (or one geminated consonant and one simple consonant) come together within

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1474-443: Is given to the establishment of an economic system which satisfies the desires of the majority and improves their living conditions, ensures equitable development, operates through a market economy , encourages private investment, initiative and competition and guarantees balanced economic growth. In short, the economic system must enhance social justice for all. Third, the PFDJ introduces socialist elements, defining social justice as

1541-464: Is indicated in brackets. Gemination , the doubling of a consonantal sound, is meaningful in Tigrinya, i.e. it affects the meaning of words. While gemination plays an important role in the morphology of the Tigrinya verb, it is normally accompanied by other marks. But there is a small number of pairs of words which are only differentiable from each other by gemination, e.g. /kʼɐrrɐbɐ/ , ( ' he brought forth ' ); /kʼɐrɐbɐ/ , ( ' he came closer ' ). All

1608-424: Is now considered old-fashioned. These less-used series are shown with a dark gray background in the chart. The orthography does not mark gemination, so the pair of words qärräbä 'he approached', qäräbä 'he was near' are both written ቀረበ . Since such minimal pairs are very rare, this presents no problem to readers of the language. Eritrean people The Eritrean national identity began to develop during

1675-457: Is only embracing only those who were politically committed. The PFDJ was to ensure the right to form national political parties at the right time. In its Charter, the PFDJ states that internal democratic life and the cultivation of popular participation are critical not only for the unity of the party, but also to clarify and enhance its policies, and to identify and correct any shortcomings. The PFDJ Charter defines principles of relations between

1742-463: Is perceived as the safeguarding of national interests, development and the strengthening of the unity of the Eritrean people and preserving Eritrea . All political institutions should be established on a national basis, free from divisive sub-national sentiments and activities, strengthening and developing nationally coordinated efforts of the Eritrean people. In other words, the political system must have

1809-434: Is some debate as to whether PFDJ is a true political party or whether it is a broad governing association in transition. Some observers perceive the PFDJ as a fairly amorphous, diffuse, transitional organization, and a nationalist umbrella, out of which spin-off parties could develop when the social and economic development advances to a level in which a multiparty system can be established and sustained. The PFDJ subscribes to

1876-572: The Afar Region in Ethiopia, and Djibouti . They speak the Afar language as a mother tongue, and are predominantly Muslim. Afars in Eritrea number about 397,000 individuals, the smallest population out of the countries they reside in. In Djibouti, there are about 780,000 group members, and in Ethiopia, they number approximately 1,300,000. The Saho represent 4% of Eritrea's population. They principally reside in

1943-461: The Bilen as a mother tongue. Christian adherents are mainly urban and have intermingled with the Tigrinya who live in the area. Muslim adherents are mainly rural and have interbred with the adjacent Tigre. The Beja in Eritrea, or Hedareb , constitute under 5% of local residents. They mainly live along the north-western border with Sudan. Group members are predominantly Muslim and communicate in Beja as

2010-607: The Eritrean Orthodox faith, 5% Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic (whose mass is held in Ge'ez as opposed to Latin), and 5% belonging to various Protestant and other Christian denominations, the majority of which belong to the (Lutheran) Evangelical Church of Eritrea). The Tigre reside in the western lowlands in Eritrea. Many also migrated to Sudan at the time of the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict and lived there since. They are

2077-530: The Scramble for Africa , when Italy claimed Eritrea as one of its colonies. This marked the establishment of Eritrea's present-day borders. Following Italy's defeat in World War II and the subsequent British administration of Eritrea, the former colony was federated with Ethiopia in 1952. Tensions increased through the 1950s between Eritreans wishing for independence and the Ethiopian government, culminating in

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2144-669: The Southern Region and the Northern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. Their language is called Saho . They are predominantly Muslim, although a few Christians known as the Irob live in the Debub Region of Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The Bilen in Eritrea represent around 2% of the country's population. They are primarily concentrated in the north-central areas, in and around

2211-459: The pharyngeal consonants . The charts below show the phonemes of Tigrinya. The sounds are shown using the same system for representing the sounds as in the rest of the article. When the IPA symbol is different, the orthography is indicated in brackets. The sounds are shown using the same system for representing the sounds as in the rest of the article. When the IPA symbol is different, the orthography

2278-425: The uvular place of articulation (although it is represented in this article as [xʼ] ). All of these possible realizations – velar ejective fricative , uvular ejective fricative , velar ejective affricate and uvular ejective affricate – are cross-linguistically very rare sounds. Since these two sounds are completely conditioned by their environments, they can be considered allophones of /k/ and /kʼ/ . This

2345-622: The 13th century. In Eritrea, during British administration , the Ministry of Information put out a weekly newspaper in Tigrinya that cost 5 cents and sold 5,000 copies weekly. At the time, it was reported to be the first of its kind. Tigrinya (along with Arabic) was one of Eritrea's official languages during its short-lived federation with Ethiopia . In 1958, it was replaced by the Southern Ethiopic language Amharic prior to its annexation. Upon Eritrea's independence in 1991, Tigrinya retained

2412-447: The EPLF subsequently emerged as the principal Eritrean guerrilla group. As Soviet support of Ethiopia's socialist government collapsed in the late 1980s, the EPLF formed an alliance with guerrilla groups in Tigray province and other parts of Ethiopia. After the holding of a United Nations-supervised referendum on independence there in April 1993, the EPLF declared the new nation of Eritrea

2479-508: The Eritrean War of Independence. Eritrea is widely considered to have been part of the territory of the ancient Land of Punt , which was first recorded by the ancient Egyptians in the 25th century BC. Most of the area, along with northern Ethiopia, became part of Dʿmt from the 10th to 5th centuries BC. This area later became the centre of the Kingdom of Aksum in the 1st century BC. The 3rd century Iranian prophet Mani wrote that Aksum

2546-485: The Eritrean government. The majority of the Tigrinya inhabit the highlands of Eritrea; however, migration to other parts of the country has occurred. Their language is called Tigrinya . They are the largest ethnic group in the country, constituting about 50% of the population. The predominantly Tigrinya populated urban centers in Eritrea are the capital Asmara , Mendefera , Dekemhare , Adi Keyh , Adi Quala and Senafe . They are 96% Christians, (of which 90% are of

2613-616: The Government and the party. In this sense it is stated, that even though the PFDJ has to play a major and critical role in the government, it is also to be independent of the government. Although the PFDJ is organized as a broad-based and participatory entity, it does not attempt to be the only form of political organization. On the contrary, it encourages and assists the establishment of public associations with objectives similar to its programs, along social, trade and other non- sectarian lines. Finally, in terms of concrete organizational structure

2680-654: The Mensaï in Eritrea). Their language is called Tigre . The Jeberti people in Eritrea trace descent from early Muslim adherents. The term Jeberti is also used to refer more generally to Muslim inhabitants of the highlands . The Jeberti in Eritrea speak Arabic and Tigrinya . According to the CIA, the Afar constitute under 5% of the nation's population. They live in the Debubawi Keyih Bahri Region of Eritrea, as well as

2747-438: The PFDJ advocates unity, equality and participation of all sections of Eritrean society as the bases for all its programs. Engagement as well as active contribution to the political, economic, social and cultural life of Eritrea is therefore perceived as a necessary precondition for social cohesion, stability and development of the country. To do so the PFDJ aims to establish a national government which ensures unity and equality for

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2814-449: The PFDJ challenges the concept of democracy in the political arena as experienced by several African (and other) countries in which the existence of various political parties and organized elections did not lead to a democratic system. Insistence on increased number of political parties and regularity of electoral schedule are therefore perceived by the PFDJ as narrow concepts which limit the meaning of democracy to its form. Second, priority

2881-430: The PFDJ introduces a highly decentralized structure with presence in the majority of rural communities as well as within major urban centers. To do this, the party charter states that it has adopted a bottom-heavy, grassroots organizational structure instead of a top-heavy one. After independence, the PFDJ regime adopted the law of the ousted Ethiopian regime with some amendments in order to maintain law and order and avoid

2948-429: The PFDJ party and current President of Eritrea is Isaias Afewerki . Eritrea formed itself from a referendum with high voter participation. EPLF provisioned education, health, and other public services to save women, workers, and peasants from poverty and oppression. As a consequence, both domestic and foreign media expressed high hopes that Eritrea would develop a self-governed and democratic government. EPLF leaders at

3015-483: The PFDJ's secretary-general and the former EPLF leader, Isaias Afwerki as Eritrea's president and formed a cabinet around him. In 1997, the National Assembly adopted a constitution for a multi-party democratic system. It scheduled multi-party elections for 1997. The new government appeared to practice separation of powers . However, the political institutions other than the executive office – the cabinet of ministers,

3082-507: The city of Keren , and south towards Asmara , the nation's capital. Many of them entered Eritrea from Kush (central Sudan) in the 8th century and settled at Merara, after which they went to Lalibela and Lasta. The Bilen then returned to Axum in Ethiopia's Tigray Province , and battled with the natives; in the resulting aftermath, the Bilen returned to their main base at Merara. The Bilen include adherents of both Islam and Christianity . They speak

3149-430: The condition which allows: 1) the narrowing of the gap in economic opportunities and wealth between the rich and the poor to ensure equitable distribution of national wealth among all citizens; as well as 2) the narrowing of the development gap between the rural and urban areas, and between the center and periphery. Thus ensuring the balanced and fair distribution of economic development in the whole country. Fourth, one of

3216-452: The consonant and the vowel. In the table below the columns are assigned to the seven vowels of Tigrinya; they appear in the traditional order. The rows are assigned to the consonants, again in the traditional order. For each consonant in an abugida, there is an unmarked symbol representing that consonant followed by a canonical or inherent vowel . For the Ethiopic abugida, this canonical vowel

3283-432: The consonants, with the exception of the pharyngeal and glottal , can be geminated. The velar consonants /k/ and /kʼ/ are pronounced differently when they appear immediately after a vowel and are not geminated . In these circumstances, /k/ is pronounced as a velar fricative . /kʼ/ is pronounced as a fricative, or sometimes as an affricate . This fricative or affricate is more often pronounced further back, in

3350-405: The context of Eritrean society, democracy should not be dependent on the number of political parties and regular elections , but on the actual participation of people in the decision-making process at community and national levels. What is being questioned here is not political parties as a manifestation of political pluralism with rights to organization and free expression and elections. Rather,

3417-419: The country from the international community but to achieve a status of independence and self-confidence and be an [important] player in the international community. Although the PFDJ lacks specific political programs covering concrete policies, its overall foundations are embedded in declared priorities including the establishment of a constitutional system which is built on nationalism and democracy. Nationalism

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3484-498: The creation of an independent Eritrean nation out of the northernmost province of Ethiopia in 1993. The historical region of Eritrea had joined Ethiopia as an autonomous unit in 1952. The Eritrean Liberation Movement was founded in 1958 and was succeeded by the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1961. The ELF grew in membership when the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie abolished Eritrea's autonomous status, annexing it as

3551-559: The following month. At the third congress of the EPLF Front in February 1994, delegates voted to transform the 95,000‐person organization into a mass political movement, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). The congress gave the PFDJ a transitional mandate to draw the general population into the political process and to prepare the country for constitutional democracy. The leader of

3618-639: The fourth most spoken language in Ethiopia after Amharic , Oromo , and Somali . It is also spoken by large immigrant communities around the world, in countries including Sudan , Saudi Arabia , Israel, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In Australia, Tigrinya is one of the languages broadcast on public radio via the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service . Tigrinya dialects differ phonetically, lexically, and grammatically. No dialect appears to be accepted as

3685-513: The human element, linkage between national and social struggles, self-reliance, and a strong relationship between people and the leadership. Self-reliance is considered an important underlying principle. Politically, it means to follow an independent line of thinking and to give priority to internal conditions; economically, to rely on internal capabilities and develop internal capacities; and culturally, to have self-confidence and develop one's own cultural heritage. Self-reliance does not mean to isolate

3752-482: The key elements in nation-building, the PFDJ program sets out priorities, which include the development and evolution of Eritrean culture. This builds on the culture developed during the liberation struggle by ensuring the preservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage, with the integration of values drawn internationally. Finally, program priorities also invoke the necessity of fair and proportionate distribution of social services (chiefly healthcare end education),

3819-487: The party and current President of Eritrea is Isaias Afwerki . The PFDJ has been described as totalitarian , and under its rule Eritrea reached the status of the least electorally democratic country in Africa according to V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023. The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), later (from 1994) People's Front for Democracy and Justice, formed from the secessionist movement that successfully fought for

3886-476: The people of Eritrea, rejects all divisive attitudes and activities, places national interest above everything else, and enables participation of all sectors of Eritrean society in the PFDJ. Moreover, all political establishments must be built on a national basis, and all sectarian political tendencies must be categorically rejected. All forms of discrimination and domination, including ethnic and regional, must also be rejected. The diverse cultures of Eritrea should be

3953-531: The sentence, there is a strong influence of Geʽez on Tigrinya literature, especially with terms relating to Christian life, Biblical names, and so on. Ge'ez, because of its status in Eritrean and Ethiopian culture, and possibly also its simple structure, acted as a literary medium until relatively recent times. The earliest written example of Tigrinya is a text of local laws found in the district of Logosarda, Debub Region in Southern Eritrea, which dates from

4020-549: The society. On 12 November 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury 's Office of Foreign Assets Control added the PFDJ to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list for being "a political party that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, activities that have contributed to the crisis in northern Ethiopia or have obstructed a ceasefire or peace process to resolve such crisis". Tigrinya language Tigrinya ( ትግርኛ , Təgrəñña ), sometimes spelled Tigrigna ,

4087-468: The status of working language in the country. Eritrea was the only state in the world to officially recognize Tigrinya until 2020, when Ethiopia made changes to recognize Tigrinya on a national level. There is no general name for the people who speak Tigrinya. In Eritrea, Tigrinya speakers are officially known as the Bəher-Təgrəñña ( ' nation of Tigrinya speakers ' ) or Tigrinya people . In Ethiopia,

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4154-407: The strong respect of women and other social rights of the Eritrean population as well as guaranteeing national security and defense and establishing regional and international cooperation. The PFDJ was conceived as a broad-based movement with the capacity to embrace all segments of the population. The PFDJ was not to be representative of any particular social class, nor was it to be narrow-based, that

4221-549: The table. When it is necessary to represent a consonant with no following vowel, the consonant + ə form is used (the symbol in the sixth column). For example, the word ʼǝntay 'what?' is written እንታይ , literally ʼǝ-nǝ-ta-yǝ. Since some of the distinctions that were apparently made in Ge'ez have been lost in Tigrinya, there are two rows of symbols each for the consonants ‹ḥ›, ‹s›, and ‹sʼ›. In Eritrea, for ‹s› and ‹sʼ›, at least, one of these has fallen into disuse in Tigrinya and

4288-432: The time were perceived as a “new generation” of African leaders. They enjoyed high popularity rates among their constituents. They endorsed, at least theoretically, democracy, human rights, and free markets. They defined clear development policies based on their priorities. In 1994, the PFDJ established a transitional 150-member National Assembly to determine the pending constitutions and elections. The assembly later chose

4355-533: Was federated with Ethiopia. The Eritrean War of Independence began on September 1, 1961, with the Battle of Adal , and ended on May 24, 1991. Eritrea officially gained independence in 1993; since then it has been governed by Isaias Afwerki , whose regime has been defined by an extremely poor human rights record . Diaspora displaced by the Eritrean War of Independence and seeking refuge from human rights violations by

4422-557: Was one of four great powers of the world, along with Persia , Rome , and China . It is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea ; the name Erythraean Sea refers to the Red Sea , and is the origin of the name Eritrea . Aksum began to decline in the mid 6th century, eventually collapsing by the end of the 10th century. Following the fall of Aksum, the land of present-day Eritrea

4489-456: Was part of Medri Bahri . The kingdom lasted until Italian colonization in 1889, however the coastal regions were ruled by other polities during this time. The Adal Sultanate conquered the coast under Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din in the 15th century, and the Ottomans conquered the area in 1517, incorporating into the empire as Habesh Eyalet . Eritrea, with its current borders, was established as

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