…All you need to know about Elections in Eswatini
BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The Nation continue to show a huge deal of interest in the currently ongoing elections registration.
The process has amassed 133 099 registered electorates, Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) revealed they were happy with the numbers and grateful to emaSwati.
EBC communications officer Mbonisi Bhembe said they weclome first-time voters who were not only given an opportunity to register for the 2023 General Election but were also capacitated about the rights and responsibilities of good citizens.
“EmaSwati hit the 100K mark of registered voters and evidence of more registrants responding to the call is witnessed nationwide. The determination is humbling as well as challenging the next crop of politicians to be effective and responsive to the development needs of the nation,” he said.
In addition to that, he told members of the public to look out for the proper dates for the Eswatini 2023 General Election
“Voter Registration started on May 10, 2023 and will run until June 14, 2023. Inspection of the Voters Roll is from June 2023 until July 12, 2023. The nomination of candidates is between 22 and 23 July 22 or 23, 2023. This will be followed by the Primary Elections on August 26 2023, with the Secondary Elections taking place September 29, 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile the government online newsletter gave a brief background on the election process in Eswatini.
It was revealed that the Parliament of Eswatini (or Libandla) is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber (the House of Assembly) and an upper one (the Senate).
It is said that some of the members of both chambers are elected, while the rest are appointed by the King of Eswatini, election is by secret ballot in a first-past-the-post system of voting.
“Members of both chambers serve for five-year terms. All candidates run on a non-partisan basis, as political parties are banned. The Assembly has 66 members, of which 55 are elected from single-member constituencies,” reads the newsletter in part.
It goes on to mention that, there are 14 Tinkhundla located in Hhohho District, 11 in Lubombo District, 16 in Manzini District, and 14 in Shiselweni District.
Candidates are first nominated at the Tinkhundla level. The top three finishers then proceed to a general election, where the candidate who receives the most votes is elected. The King appoints the other ten members, at least half of whom must be women.
Worth noting is that the 66th member is the Speaker of the House, who is elected from outside the House. If the percentage of women members falls below 30 per cent, a maximum of four women may be elected from the administrative regions. “The House selects ten of the 30 members of the Senate, and the King appoints the rest. Of these, at least five of the ten and at least eight of the 20 must be women. However, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union database, in 2008, there were 12 women senators instead of the minimum stipulated 13, and in 2013, there were only ten.,” reads the Government newsletter.
Photo Cred: Elections and Boundaries Commission
