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OBSERVERS SAY POLITICAL PARTIES SHOULD BE ALLOWED

24/09/2018 03:46:00 BY SIBONGILE SUKATI

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EZULWINI – Political parties should be allowed to participate during the country’s national elections.

This was said by former Sychelles president James Alix Michel, when he presented the African Union Elections Observers report on Saturday.
According to the recommendations released yesterday by the AU, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini should consider reviewing the ban of political parties, which would allow them to participate during the elections.

The AU Election Observer Mission encouraged the Government of Eswatini to consider reviewing the 1973 decree and allow for the formation, registration and participation of political parties in elections in accordance with the 2005 Constitution, and in compliance with the country’s international commitment.
The AU further recommended that marginalised groups should be encouraged to participate during the elections, and these included the youth, women and those with disabilities.

Michael said as much as they appreciated that a majority of the staff employed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission was female, they still needed to be in positions of empowerment.
The AU further recommended that transport should be added in more voting areas, especially the rural ones.
They stated that a full report would be released in two months.

The 2018 Elections were described as peaceful and professional.
Meanwhile, former Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) president Sibongile Mazibuko asked why the African Union Elections Observer Mission would come to Eswatini to legitimise the illegitimate.

Mazibuko made these submissions during a press conference held at the Royal Swazi Sun Convention Centre yesterday. The briefing was for the media, but Mazibuko was quick to point out that she didn’t have a media house, but was just speaking as a citizen.
Mazibuko said she wondered why organisations like the AU came to Eswatini when they knew that the country was not democratic, according to Section 4 of the Constitution.