House of Assembly Indlu Yemhlangano | |
|---|---|
| 12th Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Leadership | |
Deputy Speaker | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 76, currently 70 |
 | |
Political groups | Independents (59) Nominated (10) Attorney general (1) |
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| Two-round system (59 seats) Appointment by theKing (10 seats) | |
Last election | 29 September 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Lobamba,Hhohho Region | |
| Website | |
| parliament | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Eswatini | |
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Monarchy |
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TheHouse of Assembly ofEswatini is thelower chamber of the country'sbicameralParliament.[2] The Assembly may debate and pass bills,[3] although as the country is anabsolute monarchy, the role of the legislature is mostly advisory.
The House of Assembly was established in 1967 when theLegislative Council was disbanded and a bicameral legislature was established in the newconstitution.[4]
A maximum of seventy-six members are permitted by section 95 (1) of the Constitution.[3] There are currently sixty-six. Fifty-five members are elected from single-memberconstituencies corresponding to thetinkhundlas (tribal communities).[3] Fourteentinkhundlas are inHhohho District, eleven inLubombo District, sixteen inManzini District, and fourteen inShiselweni District. TheKing appoints the other ten members,[3] at least half of whom must be women.[5] The sixty-sixth member is theSpeaker of the House, who is elected from outside the House.[3] If the percentage of women members falls below 30%, a maximum of four women may be elected from the administrative regions.[2]
Each member must be a citizen of Eswatini, at least 18 years old, a registered voter, and have "paid all taxes or made arrangements satisfactory to the Commissioner of Taxes".[5]
The House selects ten of the thirty members of theupper chamber, theSenate of Eswatini, the King appointing the rest.[6]
Candidates are first nominated at thetinkhundla level and chosen bysecret ballot by the traditional chiefs. The top three finishers then proceed to a general election, also by secret ballot, in afirst-past-the-post system of voting. Here, the candidate who receives the most votes from the population in each constituency is elected.[5][6] All candidates run on a non-partisan basis, as political parties are banned in the country, and serve five-year terms.[2]
Observer teams from theCommonwealth of Nations were present at the2003,2008 and2013 elections.[7]