For the first time in their history, Eritreans were engaged in the making of a document by which they would be governed. Seen as the culmination of their struggle for self-determination, the Constitution was written over a three-year period, informed by intensive public debate held in villages and towns throughout the newly liberated country. Written by a scholar who led the process of constitution drafting, this book analyses the process from beginning to end, arguing that the value of a constitution lies in the degree of pubic participation that goes into its making.