BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – Great Strides
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) released a Preliminary Statement on the conduct of the General Elections in the Kingdom of Eswatini that were held on September 29 , 2023.
In this statement the Mission noted the achievements made by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) with respect to the registration of voters.
In this regard, the EBC reported that a total number of 584,710, voters were recorded, out of which 313,093 are female while 271,617 are male.
This equates to a remarkable 91.2 percent of eligible voters in terms of the 2018 National Census which stood at 641,121.
“The EBC facilitated the voter registration process from May 18 , to June 24, 2023 and extended to 18th June 18 , 2023. The extension was allowed to accommodate an influx of people that were registering on the last day of registration,” said Head of SEOM Kivandale.
He further said in terms of the voters’ registration Act 4 of 2013, upon completion of registration, voters are afforded an opportunity to validate the voters register.
The process entails filing of objections, correction of voters’ information and application of transfers from one Tinkhundla to another.
“In an effort to be more inclusive, the Commission conducted civic and voter education that targeted marginalised groups and held consultative meetings with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) and relevant stakeholders particularly those representing people living with disabilities, the youth and women.
This was a deliberate effort by the Commission to encourage meaningful participation and representation of marginalised groups.
The former president of the Republic of Zambia said this was in line with section 11.4.1. of the SADC Principles and
Guidelines which highlight that Member States agree that civic and voter education are indispensable to democratic consolidation, as they allow for the electorate to make informed choices on who decides on their governance priorities.
“On the other hand, the Mission also took note of some stakeholders’ perspectives that they believed that the EBC did not have sufficient time and financial resources to deliver a comprehensive civic and voter education programme ahead of the elections,” he said.
The Mission noted that representation of women in elected political positions in the country is minimal. Based on the data on candidates who succeeded to participate in the secondary elections, the composition of Parliament is going to be predominantly male. Data from the EBC shows that the successful candidates for both Member of Parliament and Indvuna Yenkhlundla were 86% male and 14% female.
“ The Constitution of Eswatini provides that, if after the general elections, the female candidates will not meet the required 30 percent representation in Parliament, the house shall elect not more than four additional women by region,” he said.
However, it should be noted that the quota allocation for women has not yet been implemented in practice.
Challenges regarding the representation of women in elected political positions are not unique to Eswatini. Though some SADC Member States do better on this aspect, it remains a Regional, and indeed a global challenge that we must overcome.
