In 1991 Eritrea started a transitional period in which the government and international support assisted the country towards full sovereign independent statehood in 1993. From that point onwards Eritrea started to build its government institutions from scratch. Development took place on virtually every level including the institutional divisions of the country. The country was re-divided in 1996 into six regions or zobas based on the catchment areas of water, altering the previous traditional situation of 10 regions . Although this change was perceived by the population as controversial out of fear that the historical fabric of the country would disappear together with the old regional divisions, in time the decision gradually won public acceptance. Zobas are administered by an administrator who is appointed by government . The 56 sub-regions (sub-zobas) are governed by regional assemblies which are installed through local elections valid for a period of five years. The most recent local elections were held in 2010 and 2011 in different underlying local areas and villages. Local areas and villages below the sub-zobas level are added as the population of these areas increases thus creating new subdivisions on the lowest level.
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Like the rest of the Eritrean state, local government institutions were also developed from scratch from 1993 onwards. The Ministry of Local Government was founded to coordinate and oversee local affairs leaving the implementation of policy in the hands of localities themselves. They hold responsibility in areas such as local security, healthcare, education and infrastructure. The local government act of 1996 which was strengthened in 2004 further speaks of improving opportunities for women in Eritrean local government. More recent developments initiated by the central government take place on a local scale. Local areas, villages and towns are being developed in order to enable localities to better provide services for its populations.
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This strengthening of local governments also takes place through cooperative partnerships between national and local governments and external donors. Primary focus is on economic development, sanitation, access to water and housing. In some regions improvement of these themes is brought under a single development scheme aimed at strengthening local government such as the Anseba Local Development Project (ALDP). Other regions can benefit from their increased capacity and use the flexibility of local government to improve living standards further.
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