General elections were held in

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

on 20 September 2013.

Background

The primary elections began on 24 August 2013 with one candidate elected from each chiefdom. Those elected then go on to represent the chiefdom in the general election, where one candidate from each

Inkhundla In Eswatini, an inkhundla (; plural: tinkhundla) is an administrative subdivision smaller than a district but larger than an umphakatsi (or "chiefdom"). There are 55 tinkhundla in Eswatini: 14 in Hhohho District, 11 in Lubombo District, 16 in Ma ...

(constituency) is then elected to the House of Assembly. Some political analysts have voiced concerns that women are being prevented from participating in the primary elections. In one case, a nominated candidate was disqualified because she was wearing trousers. The High Court later ordered the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to add her name back to the ballot. However, some residents from her chiefdom threatened to boycott the elections, complaining that she had not been properly nominated.

Electoral system

About 415,000 were registered to vote for the 55 of 65 seats in the House of Assembly. The other ten seats are to be filled by nominees from King Mswati III when he selects his cabinet and Prime Minister.

Campaign

As a result of the presence of a number of reform candidates, there was speculation of a more inclusive government by the traditionalists. However, the banned opposition groups such as the

Pudemo The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO; ss, Insika Yenkhululeko Yemaswati) is the largest opposition party in Eswatini. It is a democratic socialist party. Formed in 1983 at the University of Eswatini, it is led by Mlungisi Makhanya. ...

party and the South Africa-based

Swaziland Solidarity Network Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to it ...

called for a boycott.

Conduct

A team of Commonwealth observers released a report stating that Swaziland "fell short" of its democratic obligations during the elections. It criticised poor gender equality and noted that in the 55 constituencies, only one women was elected. King Mswati III's nomination of just three women to parliament left it short of the 30% requirement outlined in the 2005 constitution and provisions to increase the number of women were ignored. The Commonwealth promised to continue exerting pressure on Swaziland for change.

References

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Election Non-partisan elections {{africa-election-stub