Eritrean President Says New Charter May Be Subject to Referendum

Eritrea is in its second year of drafting a new constitution and may submit it to a referendum by the Horn of Africa nation’s people once complete, President Isaias Afwerki said.

“At this stage, what is required is a document that reflects our aspirations and that is based on our values and cumulative experiences,” Afwerki told local media in January, according to a transcript published Wednesday on the Eritrean Information Ministry’s website. The drafted charter “will have to be extensively discussed in minute details by the people and ratified through a referendum or some other mechanism,” he said.