Political parties in
Swaziland are to go to court to force King Mswati III’s regime to allow them
freedom of assembly and to take part in the national election due later in 2018.
King Mswati rules Swaziland
as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. At present political parties
advocating democracy in the kingdom are banned as terrorists. The Swazi
Constitution does not allow any political parties to contest elections.
The People’s United
Democratic Movement (PUDEMO); the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA) and the
Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) have joined forces to take the
government to court.
A national election is due at
a date to be set by the King but under the kingdom’s constitution only
individuals are allowed to be candidates.
Swaziland’s previous election in 2013 was considered ‘not free and fair’ by a number of international organisations, including the Commonwealth Observer Mission and African Union which called separately for a review of the kingdom’s constitution. It said members of parliament ‘continue to have severely limited powers’ and political parties were banned.
Swaziland’s previous election in 2013 was considered ‘not free and fair’ by a number of international organisations, including the Commonwealth Observer Mission and African Union which called separately for a review of the kingdom’s constitution. It said members of parliament ‘continue to have severely limited powers’ and political parties were banned.
In 2008, the EU
declined an invitation to observe the honesty of the Swaziland elections because of ‘shortcomings’ in
the kingdom’s democracy.
In 2013, the EU which is a major donor of aid to Swaziland told
King Mswati he must allow political parties to operate in his kingdom as it was
important that international principles of democracy were upheld in Swaziland.
In 2015 an
independent survey showed more
than one in three Swazi people wanted political parties to be allowed in the
kingdom. This was even though all debate on democratising the kingdom is ruthlessly crushed by King Mswati’s state police and security forces.
Meetings
called to discuss democratic change are routinely disrupted by police and
prodemocracy activists are jailed. No news media in Swaziland support political
parties.
Afrobarometer reported that in Swaziland 36 percent of people questioned agreed with
the statement, ‘The Swazi Constitution should be amended to allow for the
existence of political parties in our country.’ A total of 58 percent agreed
with the statement, ‘The constitutional ban on political parties has served our
country well and should therefore be maintained.’ More than six
people in ten people said they were
not satisfied with the way democracy worked in the kingdom.
In a 2013
survey Afrobarometer reported two
thirds of Swazi people wanted the kingdom to become a democracy and they wanted
to choose their own leaders ‘through honest and open elections’.
See also
SWAZILAND POLITICAL PARTIES: THE FACTS
THE CASE FOR POLITICAL PARTIES
ONE IN THREE WANT POLITICAL PARTIES
SWAZIS WANT DEMOCRACY - SURVEY
EU TELLS KING: ‘FREE PARTIES’
UK CALLS FOR PARTIES TO BE UN-BANNED
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/uk-calls-for-parties-to-be-un-banned.html
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