Eswatini
Data on women
empty
Basic information > About parliament
Speaker
Speaker
Petros
Mavimbela
(Male)
Year of birth
1963
Secretary general
Secretary General
Ndvuna S.
Dlamini
(Male)
Secretary General
Raymond
Mkhonta
(Male)
Members
Current number of members, by sex
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.
Age
Average age of all members
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Phila Wiseman Buthelezi (Male)
Oldest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
76
Oldest member
Barnabas Dlamini Prime Minister (Male)
Reserved seats and quotas
Number of reserved seats, by group
Women
4
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
The Constitution requires that women should constitute 30% of the Parliament (Constitution 2005, Art. 95, para. 1c). At least half of the nominated members appointed by the King must be female (Constitution 2005, Art. 95, para. 2a). ‘Where at the first meeting of the House after any general election it appears that female members of Parliament will not constitute at least thirty per cent of the total membership of Parliament, then, and only then, the provisions of this section shall apply. […] For the purposes of this section, the House shall form itself into an electoral college and elect not more than four women on a regional basis to the House in accordance with the provisions of section 95(3).’ (Constitution 2005, Art. 86, para. 1, 2)
Elections > Election results
Candidates
Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
336
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
51
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
15.18%
Number of candidates, by sex
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
51
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
15.18%
Results
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
57
Number of women elected
2
Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
3.39%
Note on the Distribution of seats according to sex
The 2005 Constitution requires that women constitute 30 per cent of the total membership of Parliament. Following the 2018 elections, the House of Assembly comprised a total of 70 members of whom 5 were women and the Senate comprised 30 members including 7 women. Thus, there was a total of 12 women out of 100 members (or 12% of women altogether).
The 2005 Constitution stipulates that the House of Assembly elect one woman from each of the four regions of the country in case the number of women is less than 30 per cent of the total membership of Parliament (the House of Assembly and the Senate).
In accordance with the Election of Women to the House of Assembly Act (Act No.09 of 2018), the House of Assembly elected the four additional women on 22 November 2018. They were sworn in on 26 November, bringing the total number of House members to 74, of whom 9 were women. The four women elected by the House of Assembly have the same status as other House members.
As at 1 January 2020, the House of Assembly comprised 7 women out of 73 members while the Senate comprised 12 women out of 30 senators. (Parliament, 31.03.2020, 20.04.2020)
Number of women after election or renewal, by mode of designation
Women Directly Elected
2
Women Appointed
3
New legislature
Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
64
Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
5
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature
First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Petros
Mavimbela
(Male)
Date of election
11.10.2018
Elections > Historical data on women
Women's suffrage
Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940
1968
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1968
National or local
Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1968
National or local
Stand for Election: National or Local
National
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament
Year in which first woman entered parliament
1972
Notes