Government Group Calls For Investigation Into Violence During Swaziland Election

Swaziland’s Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration Integrity (CHRPAI) has called for an investigation into the violence that occurred during the recent election.

CHRPAI Commissioner Sabelo Masuku urged the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to investigate the causes of violence and take necessary action. 

He was delivering a report on the conduct of the election. He said it was important to maintain peace and order during such an important national event.

CHRPAI is a group that comes under the kingdom’s Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

 

There were numerous media reports of violence at polling centres on election day (21 September 2018) in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by absolute monarch King Mswati III). The APA news agency reported outbursts of violence started as early as noontime which intensified in the evening with the counting of votes.

APA reported, ‘In some areas protesters who were not satisfied with certain procedures blocked vehicles transporting ballot papers to counting stations, resulting to delays in starting the counting process.

‘The bone of contention varied from last-minute change of counting centres to suspicions of malpractice by some candidates or their campaigning agents.’

APA reported at Manzini North, Manzini South, Sigwe and Ekupheleni centres the police had to request for backup from the Operational Services Support Unit (OSSU) after vehicles from the EBC were forced to turn back to polling stations for safety after roads leading to counting centres were blocked with stones and tree trunks by protesting crowds. 

At Malindza in the Lubombo region, an intoxicated member of the army drove over a male voter and further crashed onto two cars that were parked within the polling station premises, APA reported. 

Police fired gunshots in the air and grenades and rubber bullets as voters at Sigwe protested against completed ballot papers being taken away from a polling centre, the Observer on Saturday reported.

The Eswatini Elections Support Network which operates under the auspices of the Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) in a report on the conduct of the election said the election was ‘relatively peaceful’.

However, it added, ‘The environment outside the polling station was peaceful except for Ndzingeni during counting and Hillside polling stations where violence was experienced throughout the day and hence, OSSU was called in to retain order.

‘In Hillside, police kept vigilance throughout the day to maintain peace and order.

‘In Ndzingeni polling stations, voters were dispersed using teargas during counting as voters threatened to enter the polling station where counting was taking place.’

In Swaziland political parties are banned from taking part in the election. People are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly; another 10 are appointed by the King. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

King Mswati chooses the Prime Minister and Cabinet members. He also chooses top civil servants and judges.

See also

Violence, corruption, vote-buying reported in Swaziland election. Journalists barred from entering counting centres

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/violence-corruption-vote-buying.html

Swaziland Police Fire Gunshots, Set Off Grenades and Rubber Bullets as Voters Protest During Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/swaziland-police-fire-gunshots-set-off.html

Swaziland (Eswatini) Election 2018: Links to Information and Analysis From Swazi Media Commentary

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/swaziland-eswatini-election-2018-links.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Swaziland Election Observer Groups Say Vote Was ‘Peaceful’ But Fall Short Of ‘Free And Fair’

None of the three official observer groups reporting so far on the Swaziland election have concluded it was ‘free and fair’.

People went to the polls on Friday (21 September 2018) in the kingdom recently renamed Eswatini by the absolute monarch King Mswati. Political parties are banned from taking part in the election and the people are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly; the King appoints a further 10. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

The King chooses the Prime Minister and government ministers as well as top public servants and judges.

In its election report the African Union (AU) called on Swaziland to end the ban on political parties.

AU mission head James Michel, the former Seychelles president, said, ‘The mission encourages the eSwatini authorities to consider reviewing the 1973 decree on the ban on political parties and allow them to freely participate in the election.’ 

In a statement ahead of the visit the AU said, ‘The overall objective of AU election observation missions is to promote democracy, strengthen democratic institutions and build public confidence in electoral processes in Africa.’

The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Election Observation Mission in its report said the election had been successful, ‘in line with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the guiding Legal Framework’. Unlike the AU, it did not consider whether Swaziland was a democracy.

At the launch of its report on Sunday one of the SADC observer team, Harris Putani, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Malawi Electoral Commission, said SADC was not present in Swaziland to change the kingdom’s governance but only to observe elections.

The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported on Monday, ‘He said their guidelines expected them to confine to each country’s national laws. Putani said each country has its own mandate that national observers are bound to align with.’

The Eswatini Elections Support Network which operates under the auspices of the Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) made no comment about the election being ‘free and fair’. It had felt obliged to issue a clarification after its report on the first round of the election in August which had stated elections, ‘were undertaken in an atmosphere that is free and fair’.

It later issued a statement that said its report, ‘was not giving an overall assessment of the elections. What was essentially being stated was that on the day of elections most of the election processes allowed the voters to cast their votes in an environment that was not intimidating as well as facilitated the secrecy of the vote.’

All three of the observer groups reporting on the final round of the election (the secondary election) said it had been ‘peaceful’. But, CANGO said in its report, the election was ‘relatively peaceful’.

However, it added, ‘The environment outside the polling station was peaceful except for Ndzingeni during counting and Hillside polling stations where violence was experienced throughout the day and hence, OSSU [the Operational Support Service Unit or ‘riot police’] was called in to retain order. 

‘In Hillside, police kept vigilance throughout the day to maintain peace and order.

‘In Ndzingeni polling stations, voters were dispersed using teargas during counting as voters threatened to enter the polling station where counting was taking place.’

There were numerous credible reports of violence published in Swaziland newspapers in the two days following the election.

There had also in the days ahead of the election been violent attacks by the police on public sector workers who were engaged in peaceful and legal protest in support of pay increases and other matters.

The reports of violence in the newspapers included police firing gunshots in the air and grenades and rubber bullets as voters at Sigwe protested against completed ballot papers being taken away from a polling centre.

 

Police from the OSSU fired bullets into the air and teargas at a large crowd at Mayiwane. Men described as ‘mostly half-naked and heavily intoxicated’ blocked traffic at Mayiwane for three hours by burning car tyres in the middle of the road, the Sunday Observer reported. A building was also vandalised.

APA news agency reported outbursts of violence started as early as noontime on election day and intensified in the evening when the counting of votes was about to resume. At Manzini North, Manzini South, and Ekupheleni polling centres the police had to request for backup from the OSSU after vehicles from the Elections an Boundaries Commission (EBC) were forced to turn back to polling stations for safety after roads leading to counting centres were blocked with stones and tree trunks by protesting crowds.

At Malindza in the Lubombo region, an intoxicated member of the army drove over a male voter and further crashed onto two cars that were parked within the polling station premises, APA reported

Police were called to Manzini South after a row broke out over alleged corruption and buying of votes. 

See also

Swaziland Police Fire Gunshots, Set Off Grenades and Rubber Bullets as Voters Protest During Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/swaziland-police-fire-gunshots-set-off.html

Violence, corruption, vote-buying reported in Swaziland election. Journalists barred from entering counting centres

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/violence-corruption-vote-buying.html 

Swaziland (Eswatini) Election 2018: Links to Information and Analysis From Swazi Media Commentary

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/swaziland-eswatini-election-2018-links.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Swaziland’s Independent Observation Group Says Election ‘Free And Fair’ But Identifies Many Shortcomings

The Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) which led 10 local groups as an Elections Network to observe the first round of Swaziland’s election found a list of shortcomings including voter bribery, illegal voting, late opening of polling stations, poor IT facilities and drunkenness.

Nonetheless, it concluded the polls known as the Primary Election, ‘were held peacefully and were undertaken in an atmosphere that is free and fair’.

CANGO had 120 observers visit 170 polling stations across 44 of 59 constituencies in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) for the national and community elections on 24 August 2018.

In its report it identified ‘the most urgent issue’ was in Nkilongo where a candidate who was not eligible to contest one of the community offices stood and received 69 votes. A formal complaint by rival candidates has been lodged with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

CANGO also noted that ‘a lot of polling stations opened late’ especially in Siphofaneni, Hlutse, Phonjwane and some other areas in the Hhohho region. The delay was caused by late delivery of ballot materials. Some polling stations opened five hours late.

Other polling stations such as Mphundle High school in Matsanjeni North opened late because there was no electricity. In Ekuphakameni High School polling station the delay was caused by the late arrival of election officials. In other areas including Bethany Mission Primary School the delay was caused by the absence of nominees and their agents who were supposed to be there to view the sealing of the ballot boxes. 

In Shewula voting was stopped for an hour later in the day because there was no electricity.

CANGO reported, ‘Delays lead to disgruntled voters who then turn away from polling stations due to frustrations.’

At Somnjalose High School polling officers failed to balance the numbers of used and unused ballot papers. CANGO said some people might have been given two ballot papers. 

CANGO noted that many voters across Swaziland were seen trying to take photos of their ballot papers. It stated the illegal practice could be linked to voter bribery or extortion.

CANGO doubted that all presiding officers at polling stations were capable of doing their job properly. It stated, ‘Most presiding offers, polling officers generally seemed well versed in most polling stations in terms of the steps undertaken to set up polling stations, registration of serial numbers for ballot papers and ensuring that all polling stations guarantee the secrecy of the vote. However some presiding and polling officers still need to be capacitated on electoral procedures as seen in Phonjwane where procedure was flaunted as people casted their ballot only for the Bucopho position due to late arrival of other ballot materials for the two other positions.’ 

 

It noted that most of the presiding officers in the Lubombo region could not provide the number of registered voters for that particular polling station. It said that while some polling stations had the IT support, other polling stations did not. 

Most presiding officers struggled to seal ballot boxes. CANGO reported, ‘Poor seals allow for the ballot boxes to be manipulated and damage the credibility of the results.’

The verification of voters was slow in most polling stations in the early hours of the day and this was caused by IT technical glitches delaying the process. In most of the polling stations, technical glitches were common with laptops freezing.  

Campaigning, which is illegal in Swaziland until after the primary was witnessed in Mfanyana Hall where a nominee agent was soliciting for votes.  The police were called to deal with the matter.

At Ngculwini in Mhubhe High School, material available that listed the candidates who were standing at the election was tampered with in an attempt to influence voters. At Mbekelweni high school, nominees and their agents were seen greeting every voter which was illegal. ‘One nominee even greeted one of CANGO observers and told the observer whom to cast her vote to without realising that she is an observer,’ CANGO reported.

CANGO said it observed a lot of campaigning on Whatsapp groups especially around the Hlatsi, Kambhoke, Khubutha areas. It added, ‘Attempts to influence voters were also seen around Ngonini Inkhundla where relatives of certain nominees were seen transporting eligible voters to polling stations. At Ngcoseni High School polling station, a lot of voters were seen receiving varying vegetables from tomatoes, cabbages, onions etc. and it was not clear whether they were being sold and or were gifts meant to influence voters. When observers sought more information, the process of handing the cabbages was abruptly stopped and no information could be obtained.’

Some members of CANGO’s independent election observation team were asked to sign secrecy forms and were denied access to polling stations if they did not do so. They were told they had to go to the police to declare an oath.

CANGO stated, ‘EBC should clearly communicate to all polling stations that observers only sign the visitor’s book to limit misunderstandings as the country will now be joined by other regional observer missions like SADC EOM and such confusion will not paint a good image for the country.’

Fights outside polling stations were witnessed but CANGO reported these were not related to the elections but were ‘normally misunderstandings between highly intoxicated individuals standing nearby polling stations’.   

At Nkhaba Old Inkhundla polling station and Matsanjeni South the paramilitary police OSSU were called to calm the situation where voters blocked the exit of electoral officials who were transporting ballot papers to a central command place where counting could take place. 

Elections in Swaziland are generally recognised outside of the kingdom as undemocratic. Political parties are banned from taking part and King Mswati appoints the Prime Minister and Government. People are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly, another 10 are appointed by the King. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

The final round of voting (the Secondary Election) takes place on 21 September 2018.

See also

Polling Station Riot and Fresh Accusations of Vote-Rigging Reported at Swaziland Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/polling-station-riot-and-fresh.html

 

Fears Grow of Vote-Rigging and Malpractice in Swaziland Election. Ballot Boxes Not Properly Sealed

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/fears-grow-of-vote-rigging-and.html

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/independent-election-observers-in.html

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Fears Grow of Vote-Rigging and Malpractice in Swaziland Election. Ballot Boxes Not Properly Sealed

Fears of vote rigging during the first round of the Swaziland election are growing. The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) received complaints about malpractice from across the kingdom. 

Most presiding officers at polling stations did not know how to seal ballot boxes properly, a group of official election observers reported.

At Kwaluseni about 16 candidates and their agents walked out of the counting in protest at cheating and called for the election in the constituency to be cancelled.

The Swazi Observer reported (29 August 2018) there were complaints that ballot papers were tightly interlocked and could not be easily removed from ballot boxes. Candidates questioned how a thick package of papers could have been in the box when it was half empty.

The Observer reported, ‘The package was two ballot papers interlocked at right angles with several other papers neatly tucked in them.’

Counting was stopped for several hours with three boxes out of seven uncounted. It was later completed despite protests.

There were also allegations at Kwaluseni that during the voting polling station officers had told people who to vote for.

Voters in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) went to the polls in the first round of national and community elections on Saturday (25 August 2018). Political parties are banned from taking part and the King appoints the Prime Minister and government ministers.

Candidates and voters from the Buka Chiefdom and Lobamba Lomdzala marched on the offices of the EBC calling for the votes in their areas to be recounted.

At Buka they said the number of votes cast did not tally with the number of registered voters and some rejected ballot papers were counted, according to the Swazi Observer. They also said some ballot boxes were late arriving at the count after voting ended at Buka.

Voters from Lobamba Lomdzala told the newspaper they suspected ‘foul play’ at the election. The EBC asked them to detail complaints in writing.

EBC Commissioner Ncumbi Maziya said many complaints had been received from across the kingdom. ‘We have received complaints from Ezulwini, Lobamba Lomdzala, Kwaluseni and some from Mpolonjeni in the Lubombo region,’ the Observer quoted Maziya saying.

The Observer added, ‘He said the commission would follow the proper channels in addressing the complaints by the electorate.

‘“I also advised them to go to the court if need be so that their concerns could be addressed expeditiously.”’

A report on the election process from the Eswatini Elections Support Network which is overseen by the Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) which visited about 170 polling stations on the day said, ‘Most presiding officers struggled to seal ballot boxes and this is a serious concern that needs urgent attention. Poor seals allow for the ballot boxes to be manipulated and damage the credibility of the results. CANGO would like to encourage EBC to seriously invest in an urgent training for all presiding officers to be taught how to seal ballot boxes properly.’

Members of the Operational Support Service Unit (OSSU), the paramilitary police wing, were called to Nkhaba Old Inkhundla polling station and Matsanjeni South ‘to calm the situation where voters blocked the exit of electoral officials who were transporting ballot papers to a central command place where counting could take place’, CANGO reported. 

See also

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/independent-election-observers-in.html

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html

 

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

Independent observers at Swaziland’s elections were refused access to some polling stations until they had signed secrecy forms restricting what they could report.

They were told to get the form endorsed by the police.

 

It happened during the first round of the election in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) on Saturday (25 August 2018). 

The Eswatini Elections Support Network which operates under the auspices of the Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) reported on Monday (27 August 2018) that its designated observers were denied access at five polling stations.

In its official report of the election CANGO said it happened mainly in the Hhohho region.  It said observers were denied access and ‘were asked to take the secrecy form and have it endorsed by a commissioner of oaths in this case the Royal Eswatini Police Service’.

The report added, ‘The network is concerned about this matter as all electoral observers are expected to sign the visitors book not secrecy forms as the mission is an independent assessment of the national elections.’

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has yet to comment on the ban. A number of international organisations have been invited to send observers for the final round of elections due on 21 September 2018. The EBC reported that at the last election in 2013 more than 400 international and local observers were accredited. They included the Commonwealth, African Union, European Union, United States Embassy in Swaziland, German Consulate, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), SADC Elections Observer Mission (SEOM), SADC Parliamentary Forum, SADC Lawyers Association, SADC Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF), SADC Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and CANGO.

The Eswatini Elections Support Network is made up of representatives from ten NGOs in Swaziland. It deployed 120 observers across 170 polling stations in 44 constituencies in all four regions of the kingdom.

Elections in Swaziland are generally recognised outside of the kingdom as undemocratic. Political parties are banned from taking part and King Mswati appoints the Prime Minister and Government. People are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly, another 10 are appointed by the King. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

The European Union Election Experts Mission (EEM), in its report on the 2013 election, made much of how the kingdom’s absolute monarchy undermined democracy.

In its report it stated, ‘The King has absolute power and is considered to be above the law, including the Constitution, enjoying the power to assent laws and immunity from criminal proceedings. A bill shall not become law unless the King has assented to it, meaning that the parliament is unable to pass any law which the King is in disagreement with. 

‘The King will refer back the provisions he is not in agreement with, which makes the parliament and its elected chamber, the House of Assembly, ineffective, unable to achieve the objective a parliament is created for: to be the legislative branch of the state and maintain the government under scrutiny.’

The EEM went on to say the ‘main principles for a democratic state are not in place’ in Swaziland.

The EEM was not alone in recognising Swaziland as undemocratic. In its report on conduct of the 2013 election, the African Union (AU) mission called for fundamental changes to ensure people had freedom of speech and of assembly. The AU said the Swaziland Constitution guaranteed ‘fundamental rights and freedoms including the rights to freedom of association’, but in practice ‘rights with regard to political assembly and association are not fully enjoyed’. The AU said this was because political parties were not allowed to contest elections.

The AU urged Swaziland to review the constitution, especially in the areas of ‘freedoms of conscience, expression, peaceful assembly, association and movement as well as international principles for free and fair elections and participation in electoral process’.

In its report on the 2013 elections, Commonwealth observers recommended that measures be put in place to ensure separation of powers between the government, parliament and the courts so that Swaziland was in line with its international commitments.

They also called on the Swaziland Constitution to be ‘revisited’. The report stated, ‘This should ideally be carried out through a fully inclusive, consultative process with all Swazi political organisations and civil society (needed, with the help of constitutional experts), to harmonise those provisions which are in conflict. The aim is to ensure that Swaziland’s commitment to political pluralism is unequivocal.’

See also

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html 

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic