More Info:
At Stake in this Election:
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59 seats of the House of Assembly
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Chief of State: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
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Head of Government: Prime Minister Cleopas DLAMINI (since 19 July 2021)
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Assembly: bicameral Parliament (Libandla) with a Senate and House of Assembly
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The King is a hereditary monarch.
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The Prime Minister is selected out of the House of Assembly by the King.
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In the Senate, 20 members are appointed by the King and 10 are indirectly elected by plurality vote of the House of Assembly. Members serve 5-year terms, and there may be up to 31 members in total.
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In the House of Assembly, up to 60 members (1 for each tinkhundla administrative area) are directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. An additional 10 members and the attorney general are appointed by the King, and 1 female candidate from each of the four regions is indirectly elected. Members serve 5-year terms, and there may be up to 76 members in total.
In 2018, independent candidates won 59 seats in the House of Assembly and voter turnout was 60.5%.
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Candidate filing deadline: 23 July 2023
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Voter registration deadline: 18 June 2023
Main Candidates in this Election:
All candidates run as independents.
Population and Registered Voters:
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Population: 1,130,043 (2023 est.)
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Registered Voters: 584,710 (2023)
Gender Data:
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Female Population: 594,759 (2023 est.)
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CEDAW Status: Ratified (by accession) 26 March 2004
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Gender Quota: Yes; women must occupy at least 13 Senate seats and 30% of House seats
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Female Candidates in this election: Yes
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Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 11 out of 74 (14.9%) in the House of Assembly; 12 out of 30 (40%) in the Senate
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Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.597, Medium, Rank 144 (2021)
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Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Unavailable
Disability Data:
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CRPD Status: Signed 25 September 2007, Ratified 24 September 2012
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Projected population with a disability: 169,506 (2023 est.)
IFES Resources: