Eswatini
About parliament
Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.
Notes
Following the proclamation by the King on the occasion of the country’s 50th anniversary in April 2018, the country name has been modified from Swaziland to Eswatini with effective of 30 May 2018.
Suite à la proclamation du Roi à l'occasion du 50ème anniversaire du pays en avril 2018, le nom du pays a été modifié de Swaziland à Eswatini avec effet au 30 mai 2018.
Suite à la proclamation du Roi à l'occasion du 50ème anniversaire du pays en avril 2018, le nom du pays a été modifié de Swaziland à Eswatini avec effet au 30 mai 2018.
Parliament name
Libandla (Parliament)
Chamber name
House of Assembly
Structure & Status of parliament
This field is to indicate lower/upper in the back end.
Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5
IPU membership
Affiliation periods
from 2016
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.
African Group
Speaker
Official title
The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.
Speaker of the House of Assembly
Speaker
Jabulani Clement
Mabuza
(Male)
Year of birth
1972
Term
06.10.2023
Additional information
Elected on 6 Oct. 2023.
Secretary General
Official title
This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.
Clerk to Parliament
Secretary General
Benedict
Xaba
(Male)
Official title
This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.
Clerk at Table of the House of Assembly
Secretary General
Raymond
Mkhonta
(Male)
Members
Statutory number of members
Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.
Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Compare data of this field.
Directly elected members
Directly elected by citizens.
59
Indirectly elected members
Indirectly elected, for example by regional parliaments or an electoral college.
4
Appointed members
Appointed, for example, by the Head of State.
10
Other members
For example, ex-officio members of parliament, such as Cabinet members, members of the royal family, Attorney General, Speaker if appointed from outside parliament.
1
Note on the statutory number of members
The House of Assembly may comprise up to 76 members as follows:
- No more than 60 members elected from constituencies;*
- No more than 10 members nominated by the King;
- Four female members, specially elected from the four regions;**
- The Attorney General, who is an ex officio member;
- The Speaker, who may be designated from outside Parliament and thereby becomes an ex officio Member of Parliament.
* The House of Assembly elected in 2023 comprises 59 directly elected members, including the Speaker.
** The 2005 Constitution stipulates that the House of Assembly will elect one woman from each of the four regions of the country in cases where the proportion of women is less than 30% of the total membership of Parliament (the House of Assembly and the Senate). In accordance with the Election of Women Members to the House of Assembly Act (Act No. 09 of 2018), four additional women were elected in December 2023. The House of Assembly thus comprises 16 women out of 74 members.
See historical data for this field.
- No more than 60 members elected from constituencies;*
- No more than 10 members nominated by the King;
- Four female members, specially elected from the four regions;**
- The Attorney General, who is an ex officio member;
- The Speaker, who may be designated from outside Parliament and thereby becomes an ex officio Member of Parliament.
* The House of Assembly elected in 2023 comprises 59 directly elected members, including the Speaker.
** The 2005 Constitution stipulates that the House of Assembly will elect one woman from each of the four regions of the country in cases where the proportion of women is less than 30% of the total membership of Parliament (the House of Assembly and the Senate). In accordance with the Election of Women Members to the House of Assembly Act (Act No. 09 of 2018), four additional women were elected in December 2023. The House of Assembly thus comprises 16 women out of 74 members.
Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Statutory number of members per country
As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.
Population (in thousands)
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Age
Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.
Average age of all members
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Number of members, by age
18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals per age interval | 0 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Total <= 45: 27 | Total >= 46: 46 | ||||||||||
Male | 0 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Members for whom data is available
Reserved seats and quotas
There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
Number of reserved seats, by group
Women
4
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
At least 5 of the 10 members appointed by the King to the House of Assembly must be women. When women do not constitute at least 30% of the total number of Members of Parliament (House of Assembly and Senate) after any general election, the House of Assembly shall elect no more than four women as its members on a regional basis.
Legal source
Legal text that stipulates the quota, such as the Constitution or electoral law.
Article 86 clauses (1) and (2), and article 95 clauses (1)(b), (1)(c), (2) and (3) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland* Act 2005.
*The country name was modified from Swaziland to Eswatini, effective May 2018.
*The country name was modified from Swaziland to Eswatini, effective May 2018.
Links to additional information
Parliamentary website
Link(s) to parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local languages.
List of members
Link(s) to list of members on the parliamentary web site.
Constitution
Official links to the Constitution in English, French and/or original language is provided. Links to unofficial translations where no other source is available.