mmonwealth

Capital: Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital

Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini,
Shiselweni

Independence: 6 September 1968 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 September (1968)

Constitution: none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended
12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978,
but was not formally presented to the people; since then a few more
outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been
accepted

Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory
courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive branch: chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April
1986)

head of government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since
9 August 1996)

cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by
the monarch

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory
body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House
of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year
terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the
monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year
terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998
(next to be held NA 2003)

election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a
nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local
council of each constituency and for each constituency the three
candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are
narrowed to a single winner by a second round

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts
are appointed by the monarch

Political parties and leaders: Imbokodvo National Movement or INM
[leader NA]; Ngwane National Libertatory Congress or NNLC [Obed
DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO
[Mario MASUKU, president]; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO
[Elmond SHONGWE, president]; Swaziland Progressive Party or SPP [J.
J. NQUKU, president]; Swaziland United Front or SUF [Matsapa
SHONGWE, leader]

note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated