POLITICIANS from Eritrea

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Eritrean Politicians of all time. This list of famous Eritrean Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Isaias Afwerki (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 67.88, Isaias Afwerki is the most famous Eritrean Politician.  His biography has been translated into 65 different languages on wikipedia.

Isaias Afwerki (Tigrinya: ኢሳይያስ ኣፍወርቂ, pronounced [isajas afwɐrkʼi] ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the first and only president of Eritrea since 1993. In addition to being president, Isaias has been the chairman of Eritrea's sole legal political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). In September 1966, Isaias along with Haile Woldense and Mussie Tesfamichael joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). In 1968 upon his return from China, Isaias was appointed as a political commissioner of the ELF's Zone 5 in the Hamasien region. In 1969, a group of around seventy fighters, led by Abraham Tewolde, decided to form a new movement group, and they were joined by another small group led by Mesfin Hagos, together they became known as the Ala group. Following Tewolde's death in late 1970, Isaias became the leader of the group.[18]. Having consolidated power within this group, he led pro-independence forces to victory on 24 May 1991, ending the 30-year-old war for independence from Ethiopia, before being elected president of the newly-founded country of Eritrea two years later. Western scholars and historians have long considered Isaias to be a dictator, with Eritrea's constitution remaining unenforced, electoral institutions effectively being nonexistent as well as a policy of mass conscription. The United Nations and Amnesty International have cited him for human rights violations. In 2024, Reporters Without Borders ranked Eritrea, under the government of Isaias, last out of 180 countries in its Press Freedom Index.

2. Tedros Adhanom (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 66.74, Tedros Adhanom is the 2nd most famous Eritrean Politician.  His biography has been translated into 62 different languages.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Tigrinya: ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, diplomat, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017. He is the first African to become WHO Director-General, receiving an endorsement for the role by the African Union. Tedros played a role in the response to the Ebola virus epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022–2023 mpox outbreak. Prior to serving as Director-General, he held two high-level positions in the government of Ethiopia: Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016. Tedros was included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

3. Aman Andom (1924 - 1974)

With an HPI of 53.97, Aman Andom is the 3rd most famous Eritrean Politician.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Aman Mikael Andom (Amharic: አማን ሚካኤል አንዶም, romanized: āman mīka’ēl āndom; Tigrinya: ኣማን ሚካኤል ዓንዶም; 21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) was an Eritrean general, and the first post-imperial acting head of state of Ethiopia. Aman was also the first Chairman of the Derg. He was appointed to this position following the coup d'état that ousted Emperor Haile Selassie on 12 September 1974, and served until his assassination in a shootout with his former supporters.