"Our view is that these elections are not offering a solution to the problems in Swaziland, where there is no democracy at the moment," said Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), which claims a membership of around 83 000 members out of a total of 110 000 workers in the country.
Voting is due to get under way 06:00 GMT today.
"I am not voting. I have not registered for these elections, not by mistake, but by design," he said.
"We are totally boycotting these elections," said Bonginkosi Dlamini, secretary-general of Swaziland's banned People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), a small but vocal minority group in the kingdom.
Meanwhile, election officials were moving forward with their preparations.
"Things are going pretty well at this stage, we are in an advanced stage of preparations," said Robert Thwala, Swaziland's chief electoral officer.
Thwala said at his office, based between the capital Mbabane and the country's second-largest town, Manzini, that ballot papers had been printed and would be distributed to polling stations around the country later yesterday.
"Our officers have been deployed to these areas and the ballot papers will be distributed later today (Friday)," he said.
The candidates elected in 55 constituencies in the southern African kingdom will take their seats in the House of Assembly, where a recently unveiled draft constitution will soon be submitted to eventually make room for 60 lawmakers, chosen by voters.
King Mswati III will appoint another 10 seats in the House of Assembly after the election in the 55 constituencies.
The upper house, the Senate, will consist of 30 seats, of which 10 are chosen by the House of Assembly and 20 others - at least eight of them women - will be appointed by the king.
If the new constitution is adopted, an additional four delegates, one each from Swaziland's regional areas, will be appointed by the king's council to also sit in the House of Assembly, and one seat will be taken by the country's attorney-general.
Outside observers said they believed Swaziland's elections would not have a major impact on the country's political landscape, as absolute rule was still vested in King Mswati III.
In 1973, less than five years after independence from Britain, former Swazi King Sobhuza II, Mswati's father, repealed the country's constitution, assuming supreme executive, legislative and judicial powers for himself and his descendants.
Sobhuza also banned the political opposition, and in 1978 under the "tinkhundla" - Swazi for "meeting place" - system of traditional rule, decreed that all candidates for the Swazi parliament must be independent of any political party.
The situation under his successor, King Mswati III, continued after he was crowned the country's new king at the age of 18 in 1986, following Sobhuza's death in 1982.
Asked about the boycott by pro-democracy groups, Thwala said Swaziland's government believed they were missing an opportunity to have an impact on politics in the country.
"Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but we believe it is a missed opportunity for them," Thwala said. – Sapa-AFP.
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