At stake
in this election:
- Seats in the House of Assembly: 65
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Description
of government structure:
- Chief of State: King MSWATI III
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI
- Parliament: Swaziland's bicameral
parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Assembly.
- Senate: The Senate consists of 30 members
serving five-year terms. Twenty members of the Senate are appointed by the king and ten
members are elected through the House of Assembly.
- House of Assembly: The House of Assembly
consists of 65 members serving five-year terms. Fifty-five members of the House of
Assembly are directly elected from single-member constituencies and 10 are appointed by
the king.
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Main
parties in the electoral race:
- Not Applicable. Political party
activity in Swaziland has been formally banned by royal decree since 1973.
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When was
the last presidential election?
- Elections last held: October 11,
1993
- Seats decided in the last election to the
House of Assembly: 65 (55 popularly elected, 10 appointed by king)
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Population
and number of registered voters:
- Population: 1,031,600 (July 1997 estimate)
- Number of registered voters: 200,000
(approx.)
|
Of Interest:
- Despite the ban on formal political
parties, several political groups operate openly and receive substantial media coverage.
- The October 1998 election was be the second
time that members of the House of Assembly will be elected by popular vote.
- Swaziland celebrated its thirtieth
anniversary of independence from British rule in September 1998.
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| SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES) |
| For additional information:
IFES ElectionGuide Online |
