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Eswatini elected 51 male and 8 female MPs to the lower house of parliament. The 59 MPs were elected on September 29. The real power is vested with the monarch King Mswati III, who according to his detractors, is ruling the country with an iron fist
Eswatini elected 51 male and 8 female MPs to the lower house of parliament. The 59 MPs were elected on September 29. The real power is vested with the monarch King Mswati III, who according to his detractors, is ruling the country with an iron fist. Therefore, the elections may not bring about any substantive changes in the governance structure of the country, since the elected representatives are sheer advisors to the monarch.
Candidates for the elections ran independently of any parties. Parties are banned in the country. The candidates are selected by traditional chiefs close to the king. All legislation in the country is approved by the king who has the right of veto. Mswati III also appoints the Prime Minister, the cabinet, and judges, as well as commanding the police and army. A large part of the opposition called for a boycott ahead of the vote. They said that the results were a foregone conclusion.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/polling-in-eswatini-peaceful-voters-feel-elections-inconsequential/
https://trendsnafrica.com/the-kingdom-of-eswatini-to-hold-parliamentary-elections/
In recent years, the kingdom has been rocked by pro-democracy protests. In 2021, their violent repression by the king’s police and army left around 40 people dead. This time the voting took place without any major incidents. The African Union’s observers noted that the electoral process was held peacefully and orderly.
