December 8, 2011

Eritrean politics heating up



About 500 Eritrean delegates from outside Eritrea met in a southern town in Ethiopia from Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, 2011. They set the foundations for an alternative government in Eritrea. Many people are not happy with the current regime lead by President Afwerki. The current government is known as the People's Front for Democracy and Justice [PFDJ] [aka HGDEF (Eritrean language letter reference?)]

Eritrea does not allow oppostion parties to officially exist in the country. This meeting was an attempt to overcome this barrier. An alternative government structure could fill the gap if the current regime collapses or is overthrown.

The National Congress for Democratic Change [NCDC] which was attended by hundreds of delegates representing exiled Eritreans, including those living in Sudanese and Ethiopian refugee camps. The congress was held in Awassa, Ethiopia, and elected a 127-member National Assembly. The congress also adopted three documents: the political charter, bylaws and a roadmap. A fourth document, the draft constitution was entrusted to the elected national assembly to be used as a reference in the making of a constitution in Eritrea after the downfall of the Eritrean regime.

The NCDC is also known as Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change” (ENCDC)
This link provides the names of people elected to positions of executive leadership in the alternative government.
http://awate.com/national-assembly-for-democratic-change-elected-its-executive-committee/
This aggressive article explores the reasons why an alternative structure of leadership is necessary.
http://awate.com/the-national-congress-and-the-end-game/

An internal Eritrean group writes an article and attempts to put the National Congress for Democratic Change in a bad light. This group is known as the Eritrean National Democratic Forces (CC-ENDF)
http://erigazette.org/?p=164

Adroub.net NEWS covered this story about a month ago, before the historic meeting of the NCDC.

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