2023 Swazi general election

General elections were held in Eswatini on 29 September 2023.[1][2][3][4] As the country is an absolute monarchy, the role of the parliament is mostly advisory.[5]

Electoral system

The House of Assembly consists of 59 elected seats and up to ten chosen by the Ngwenyama. The 59 elected members are elected in a two-round system. A primary election is held in each of the 385 chiefdoms to choose a candidate for the secondary election, with between three and twenty candidates in each chiefdom. In the secondary election, the country is divided into 59 constituencies (increased from 55 in the 2013 elections);[6] each winner of the primary election then stands in the constituency that covers their chiefdom.[7] Both rounds operate on a first-past-the-post basis, with all candidates running as independents.[7][8]

References

1. "Eswatini to hold parliamentary elections in September". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
2. "Get to know Your Candidates! and get ready for Secondary Elections". elections.org.sz. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
3. "Eswatini holds parliamentary elections under monarch's control". Reuters. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
4. "Eswatini: voters cast their ballots in legislative elections". Africanews. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
5. Aradi, Gloria (2023-09-29). "Eswatini election: The vote in a kingdom where parties are banned". Africa. BBC News. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
6. "Unhappy residents boycott election". 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-08-17.
7. "Swaziland: Primary and Secondary Elections: 24 August – 20 September 2013: Final Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2018.
8. "ESWATINI (House of Assembly), Electoral system". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 2023-01-08.