All
campaigning ahead of the primary election is banned by law in Swaziland, but
candidates have been ignoring this. Police have been called to various events
to deal with allegations that parties and social gathering were disguise delection events.
At a media
conference EBC chair Chief Gija Dlamini announced the ban on feasts and parties
until the primary election takes place on Saturday (24 August 2013).
He said,
however, events such as marriages which had long been planned cannot be taken
as parties to lure people into voting for individuals and could go ahead.
The winners at the primaries become their chiefdom’s
candidate in the ‘secondary’ elections on 20 September, where they compete
against each other at the Inkhundla (constituency) level to be elected to the
House of Assembly.
The elections are widely seen inside and outside
Swaziland as irrelevant. Political parties are banned from taking part and the
parliament that is elected has no power as this rests with King Mswati III, who
rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
The secondary elections are for 55 members of the 65-seat
House of Assembly. The other 10 members are appointed by the king. None of the
30-strong Swaziland Senate is elected by the people: the king appoints 20
members and the other 10 are elected the House of Assembly.
See also
ELECTION LAW
BROKEN ACROSS KINGDOM
SWAZI LAW BANS
ELECTION CAMPAIGNING
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/swazi-law-bans-election-campaigning.html
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