How did Isaias Afwerki become Eritrea’s first president?

Isaias Afwerki became the first president of Eritrea following a long struggle for independence led by the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF). After the EPLF defeated Ethiopian forces in May 1991, a provisional government was established with Isaias, then the EPLF secretary-general, at its head.123

Following a United Nations-supervised referendum in April 1993, in which the vast majority of Eritreans voted for independence, the transition to a formal government began. In May 1993, the National Assembly—an interim legislative body composed of the EPLF central committee and additional members—elected Isaias as the country's first president. Upon his election, he also assumed the roles of chairman of the National Assembly, commander in chief of the army, and head of the ruling party, effectively consolidating control over the executive and legislative branches of the new nation. He officially proclaimed Eritrea’s independence on May 24, 1993.1243