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Politics of Eswatini

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766:, never intermarry; the King is always a Dlamini, the Queen Mother is never a Dlamini. The king is not followed by blood brothers. He is "Nkosi Dlamini" and is expected to unify his position by choosing wives from all sectors of the community. The balance of power lies between the King and the Queen Mother. The Royal Council plays a key role in the selection of the successor to the throne. Much of this tradition remains secret (or undetermined) - but it is rumoured that the new king must be single, and is usually a minor. His wives are important. 32: 540:(parliament), with help from an advisory council. The king is allowed by the constitution to appoint some members to parliament for special interests. These special interests are citizens who might have been left out by the electorate during the course of elections or did not enter as candidates. This is done to balance views in parliament. Special interests could be people of gender, race, disability, business community, civic society, scholars, chiefs and so on. The 563: 386: 720:
The king and the queen mother rule together in theory, and did so in practice up until the reign of Sobhuza II. Before colonization, the senior queen acted as a check and counterweight to the king's power through her direct control over some military forces and her control of rainmaking medicines and
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Succession is chosen in relation to the status of the potential king's mother. The iNdlovukati is chosen by the Royal Council after the King's death; he will be from an unrelated family. Within the aristocracy, the first wife is never the main wife - a second wife who has a higher pedigree will take
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has 65 seats, of which 55 are occupied by elected representatives from the 55 constituencies around the country, and 10 are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council. The attorney general is the ex-officio member. Elections are held every five years.
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is often criticized for his lavish lifestyle in a nation with approximately 34 percent of people unemployed, nearly 70 percent living on less than a dollar a day and with around 35 percent of adults suffering from HIV — one of the world's highest
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prior to his full accession. Subsequently, the constitution was revised to provide that where the Regent and the Authorised Person are not in agreement on any matter, the matter shall be referred to Bantfwabenkhosi (princes) and chiefs.
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national ritual that binds the fate of the king and the nation together. British policy and the strength of Sobhuza II's personality shifted power decisively toward the king and away from the senior queen during his long reign.
532:). The former was viewed as the administrative head of state and the latter as a spiritual and national head of state, with real power counterbalancing that of the king, but during the long reign of Sobhuza II the role of the 697:
dies and the heir has not performed royal adulthood rituals or is indisposed. If the king's mother is no longer living, one of the king's wives may act as Ndlovukati. In Sobhuza II's case, his grandmother the
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A Swazi king's first two wives are chosen for him by the national councillors. These two have special functions in rituals and their sons can never claim kingship. The first wife must be a member of the
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Political parties were banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978. The new constitution does not take into consideration party activity whereas freedom of association is protected.
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The King, according to the new constitution, is also Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces and Commissioner of Police. He and the Queen Mother have legal immunity.
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consists of 30 members, of which some are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council and others elected by the lower house. The
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infection rates. His fleet of luxury cars and the millions spent towards refurbishing his numerous wives' luxury mansions are cited as examples.
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became more symbolic. The king appoints the prime minister from the legislature and also appoints a minority of legislators to both chambers of
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clan. According to tradition, he can only marry his fiancées after they have fallen pregnant, proving they can bear heirs. Until then, they are
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is a symbol of unity and the eternity of the Swazi nation. By tradition, the king reigns along with his mother or a ritual substitute, the
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In general practice, however, the monarch's power is delegated through a dualistic system: modern and statutory bodies, like the
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This article is about recent and past political developments in Eswatini. For the Eswatini government, see
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until his accession to full authority in 1922, when his mother Lomawa Ndwandwe became the
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in 1982 and a period of regency. According to the constitution of Eswatini, the king and
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During a period of intense succession struggles following the death of Sobhuza II, the
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was regent from his choice as infant heir in 1899 following the death of his father
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The Constitution of The Kingdom of Swaziland Act, 2005, Chapter 1, Section 4(2)
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As stated by the Swazi law and custom, the monarch holds supreme
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with constitutional provisions and Swazi law and Custom. The
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rites. She also played a role in key aspects of the annual
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He was then deposed and the mother of the heir, now King
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died, another was appointed from among his senior wives.
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
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The Royal family line, the 1493: 1019:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( 973: 914: 1072: 843:List of political parties in Eswatini 589:adding citations to reliable sources 556: 408:adding citations to reliable sources 379: 837:Political parties and participation 806: 13: 756: 14: 1512: 1052:to help reach a consensus. › 1031: 856:Summary of the 20 September 2013 841:For other political parties, see 1397:Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 1167:Democratic Republic of the Congo 561: 384: 30: 395:needs additional citations for 982: 948: 930: 894:women elected for each region 1: 1037: 923: 858:House of Assembly of Eswatini 790: 7: 769: 552: 10: 1517: 909: 901: 893: 885: 874: 840: 810: 481: 1410: 1385: 1104: 1152:Central African Republic 1050:templates for discussion 779:clan, the second of the 195:Administrative divisions 1099:Constitutions of Africa 825:consists of an 82-seat 604:"Politics of Eswatini" 484:Government of Eswatini 419:"Politics of Eswatini" 305:Diplomatic missions of 1312:São Tomé and Príncipe 1172:Republic of the Congo 847:Elections in Eswatini 735:Prince Sozisa Dlamini 1501:Politics of Eswatini 1055:Swaziland Government 585:improve this section 404:improve this article 23:Politics of Eswatini 1387:States with limited 863: 902:Appointed members 855: 703:Labotsibeni Mdluli 1488: 1487: 1414:other territories 1187:Equatorial Guinea 921: 920: 886:Attorney-General 827:House of Assembly 665: 664: 657: 639: 546:House of Assembly 494:absolute monarchy 480: 479: 472: 454: 378: 377: 322:Visa requirements 282:Foreign relations 269:Political parties 241:Recent elections 175:House of Assembly 1508: 1475: 1474:(United Kingdom) 1470:Tristan da Cunha 1466:Ascension Island 1458: 1445: 1436: 1412:Dependencies and 1105:Sovereign states 1093: 1086: 1079: 1070: 1069: 1025: 1024: 1018: 1010: 1008: 1007: 1001: 995:. 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Index

Politics of Eswatini

Constitution
Human rights
LGBT rights
Ngwenyama
list
Mswati III
Ndlovukati
list
Ntfombi
Government
Prime Minister
Russell Dlamini
Cabinet
Parliament
Senate
President
House of Assembly
Speaker
Administrative divisions
Regions
Tinkhundla
Umphakatsi
Elections
2013
2018
2023
Political parties
Foreign relations

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