A/HRC/23/53 situation of human rights in Eritrea organized by human rights defenders. Interaction in Banjul was useful for the collection of information from various stakeholders. 15. The present report was also based on information gathered from a variety of other sources, including governmental, non-governmental and intergovernmental sources. The information contained in the submissions forwarded to the Special Rapporteur pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 21/1 was also an important source. The Special Rapporteur held meetings with a broad range of actors, such as government representatives, human rights defenders, civil society representatives and academics. 16. In addition, the Special Rapporteur developed a questionnaire aimed at gathering information about allegations of specific human rights violations in Eritrea. The questionnaire was uploaded to the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and is available as a tool for those who wish to inform the Special Rapporteur about specific human rights violations. Since the beginning of April 2013, she has received more than 200 e-mails and letters with requests for meetings, mainly from Eritreans in the diaspora in Europe, Canada and the United States of America. The Special Rapporteur continues to encourage those requesting meetings to provide written submissions. She expresses her gratitude to all interlocutors for their support in the implementation of her mandate. IV. Overall context A. Overview of historical, political and economic contexts 17. Eritrea declared its de jure independence in 1993 after 30 years of liberation struggle against Ethiopian rule and following a referendum monitored by the United Nations, in which Eritreans voted overwhelmingly (more than 98 per cent) for independence. The country occupies a significant geostrategic space in eastern Africa. Located along the Red Sea coastline, just north of the Horn of Africa, it consists of a central plateau referred to as the highlands and the lowlands in the north, west and along the coast. 18. The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) took control of Eritrea in 1991 and issued proclamation 23/1992 the following year, in which it recognized its obligation to establish a transitional Government while awaiting the formation of a constitutional Government. Proclamation 37/1993 restricted the duration of the tenure of the transitional Government to four years. The EPLF has, however, remained in power, in the form of the Popular Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with the structure established by proclamation 37/1993. 19. Since independence, the PDFJ has remained the only legal political party in Eritrea. Political space is restricted and limited, with no alternative voice allowed. The Constitution, which was ratified in 1997 by the Constituent Assembly but never formally implemented, provides for an elected legislature with the power to choose a President from among its members by a majority vote. To date, however, no national elections have been held and President Isaias Afwerki has remained in office since independence. 20. Reliable and up-to-date data on the Eritrean economy are difficult to obtain. The United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) has classified the human development index of Eritrea at 0.351, ranking the country at 181st of 187 countries with comparable data. Furthermore, UNDP indicates that the index for sub-Saharan Africa as a region has risen from 0.366 in 1980 to 0.475, placing Eritrea below the regional average. Military expenditure, including the huge costs of military mobilization, is one major factor contributing to the country’s economic decline. 5