
In the recent election held last week in Eswatini, a total of fifty-one men and eight women were elected to the country’s parliament. The results indicated a significant presence of pro-royalist candidates, though they are not anticipated to bring substantial changes to the political landscape of Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
Eswatini, located in southern Africa, has been under the rule of King Mswati III since 1986, succeeding his father, Sobhuza II. In a recent election held on Friday, the nation voted to elect politicians who serve as the king’s advisors without executive authority.
The results were officially released by the electoral commission on Monday.
Political parties are prohibited in this nation with a population of approximately 1.2 million, but individual candidates are permitted to contest seats in the House of Assembly once every five years.
The newly elected parliamentarians in Eswatini, a country that adopted its current name from Swaziland in 2018, predominantly align with the king and include individuals with backgrounds in journalism and education, among others.
In addition to the 59 members of parliament who were elected, the king will exercise his prerogative to appoint an additional 10 individuals to the House of Assembly, with this group including five women.
An election observation mission led by the African Union highlighted that women remained inadequately represented in parliament.
Many Swazis are hesitant to voice criticism against the 55-year-old king, even though there is a growing sense of discontent that fueled violent pro-democracy demonstrations in 2021.
Pro-democracy activists have accused Mswati of persistently avoiding demands for substantial reforms that could advance the nation towards democracy.