King Mwsati of Swaziland seriously misled his subjects
and the international community when he said that the Pan-African Parliament (PAP)
observers at the national election in the kingdom in 2008 had said, ‘Africa has
a lot to learn from the Swazi electoral system.’
In fact nowhere in the official PAP report is anything
remotely like that stated.
Instead, it listed seven ‘challenges’ Swaziland faced in
its elections, putting the banning of political parties in the kingdom top of
its concerns. This did not meet ‘regional and international standards and
principles for democratic elections’, PAP reported.
King Mwsati rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last
absolute monarch.
The king made the comments in his speech opening the Swazi Parliament on Friday (15 February 2013).
He said, ‘It was encouraging to note from the Pan African Parliament observer
mission, which went on to state in its mission report, that Africa has a lot to
learn from the Swazi electoral system.’
Rather than praise Swaziland in the way King Mswati
claimed, the PAP mission recorded seven ‘challenges’ Swaziland faced in the
2008 election.
(i) Political parties were not permitted to contest in
the elections. This restriction infringes on the rights of those citizens
wishing to participate in elections through political parties and does not meet
regional and international standards and principles for democratic elections.
(ii) There is no provision for campaign funding for
candidates. This results in an unfair financial advantage of wealthier
candidates over poorer candidates especially women.
(iii) There was little if any civic education for voters
by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
(iv) We recognise measures taken by government to ensure
30 percent representation of women in the parliament. However we note that
cultural norms militate against women’s participation in the elections.
(v) In some constituencies voting did not take place as
court cases on the primary elections were still pending.
(vi) The recording of the voter’s registration number on
the ballot paper counterfoil has the potential to compromise the secrecy of the
vote.
(vii) Counting of votes takes place at constituency
centres on the day after voting. Ballot boxes are stored overnight which may
create room for manipulation.
The report went on the make the following
recommendations:
(i) Election stakeholders including the EBC and civil
society organisations should conduct voter education on elections.
(ii) The people of Swaziland should resolve through
voting in a national referendum, the issue of political party participation in
elections.
(iii) More measures should be put in place to empower
women to compete in elections.
(iv) Campaign funding should be provided in order to
encourage and promote the participation of all worthy candidates in the
election.
(v) Recording the voter’s registration number on the
ballot paper counterfoil should be stopped in order to guarantee secrecy of the
ballot.
(vi) The electoral authorities should consider the use of
translucent ballot boxes in order to enhance transparency.
(vii) Counting of votes should take place at the polling
stations immediately after voting in order to enhance transparency and
credibility of the results and expedite the announcement of the election
results.
There is a concerted effort by King Mswati and his
followers to misrepresent the election this year in Swaziland as democratic, when
it is not.
In his speech to parliament the king also claimed that
the national election was an opportunity for his subjects to shape the
kingdom’s future. But, the election is not meaningful. There are two chambers
of parliament, the House of Assembly and the Senate. Of the 65 members of the
House, 10 are chosen by King Mswati and 55 are elected by the people. In the
Senate, King Mswati chooses 20 of the 30 places. The other 10 are chosen by
members of the House of Assembly. None are elected by the people.
King Mswati is in complete control of his kingdom. In
October 2012, the House of Assembly passed a vote of no-confidence in the Prime
Minister and cabinet. In such circumstances the constitution requires the
monarch to sack the government (he has no discretion in the matter), but King
Mswati ignored this and put pressure on the House to re-run the vote, this time
ensuring that it did not have the required majority to pass. Members of the
House did as they were told and the government continued in office.
See also
KING IS IN
CONTROL - ELECTION MEANINGLESS
SWAZI ELECTION
WILL BE A FRAUD
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