Eswatini - September 2023

On 29 September, Eswatini held legislative elections to select 59 members of its House of Assembly, the lower chamber of the country’s bicameral parliament (another ten members of the chamber are appointed by the King). Political parties are banned in Eswatini and under its electoral system candidates contest as independents. A major political cleavage in the country is between those who support the country’s absolute monarchy and those opposed to it and, according to media reports, most of the parliamentarians elected are considered to be loyal to the King. Eight women were elected and another five were due to be appointed by the King. This total fell short of the country’s gender quota, which requires at least 30 per cent of members of the House to be female. The elections were observed by missions from the Africa Union and the Southern African Development Community, both of which found them to have been peaceful and orderly but noted the low representation of women in parliament.

Sources: Africa News, Associated Press News, Voice of America, African Union, Southern African Development Community, Daily Maverick