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Swaz
iland held primary elections at the weekend to choose
individuals from more than 300 chiefdoms who will vie for 60 House
of Assembly seats in parliamentary elections next month.
Chief electoral officer Robert Thwala said yesterday the elections
had proceeded relatively smoothly, but that ballot papers ran out
at some polling stations Saturday, and that these had to be
reopened yesterday morning.
"My office is happy with the way things went in the different parts
of the kingdom.... All in all, things at most stations went well,"
Thwala said.
The tiny country, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique, is
ruled by Africa's last absolute monarch and has no official
opposition.
Primary elections in Swaziland are contested on an individual basis
in more than 300 chiefdoms around the country.
After being elected there, representatives then stand in the
general elections - to be held next month - where they vie for the
60 seats in the House of Assembly.
King Mswati III appoints ten other members to the House to make a
total of 70 representatives.
The House of Assembly then appoints ten members to Swaziland's
executive council, the Senate, while the king appoints 20 other
senators.
But while the Senate is the country's executive arm, the last word
lies with Mswati, who has a wide range of powers and rules the
country by decree.
Mswati dissolved his council of ministers Friday evening ahead of
Saturday's elections, to allow them to freely participate in the
primary elections.
According to the government gazette, he dissolved the council to
"fully exercise their constitutional right to participate in the
election process without undue advantage or suffer
disadvantage".
King Mswati's monarchy is hereditary, and he commands the military,
police and prison services.
The king is also in charge of appointing members of the judiciary,
including magistrates and judges, and has the powers to remove any
officer at any given time.
He is immune from taxation in his private capacity and cannot be
sued either in criminal or civil cases.
Nor may he be summoned to appear as in court as witness.
Mario Masuku, president of Swaziland's banned opposition, the
People's United Democratic Movement, said Friday his party did not
support the primary elections.
"As long as we have the king's decree (banning political parties),
no free and fair elections will be held in this country," he said.
– Sapa-AFP.
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