Eswatini

House of Assembly Senate

House of Assembly

Political system
Monarchy
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes
»

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s)
29 Sep 2023
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
No information available
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections
30 Sep 2028
Number of seats at stake
59
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
Not applicable
Not applicable. There is no party system or candidates stood as independents.
Yes
Number of female candidates
-

Notes: Political parties are banned.

Results

About the election

Pro-royalist candidates fared well in the 2023 elections to the House of Assembly. According to the Government, more than 500,000 people, or 91% of the eligible population, registered to vote. Political parties are banned in the kingdom of about 1.2 million people. Thus all candidates ran as independents. Eight women were elected in 2023 (up from two in 2018) and four women were appointed by the King.

The 2023 elections were the first to be held after the 2021 pro-democracy movement, which the security forces had tried to suppress. Participants in the movement demanded electoral reforms that would allow them to choose their own prime minister. Two members of the previous parliament who supported the pro-democracy movement were jailed, and a third fled the country. A large part of the opposition called for a boycott ahead of the vote. On 3 November, King Mswati appointed Mr. Russell Mmemo Dlamini as the new Prime Minister, replacing Mr. Cleopas Dlamini, who had assumed the premiership following the 2021 protests.

Alternation of power after elections
No
Number of parties in government
Not applicable
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
51
Number of women elected
8

Notes:

- 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.

Percentage of women elected
13.6%
Women Directly Elected
8
Women Appointed
4
Women Indirectly Elected
4
Other notes on the elections

Political parties are banned.

Sources

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
58
Total number of women after the election
16
Percentage of women after the election
21.6%
First-term parliamentarians
56
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
75.7%
Date of the first session
06 Oct 2023

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Jabulani Mabuza (Male)
Date of election
06 Oct 2023

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No