opulation: 81.6%
male: 82.6%
female: 80.8% (2003 est.)

Government Swaziland

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
conventional short form: Swaziland
local long form: Umbuso weSwatini
local short form: eSwatini

Government type:
monarchy

Capital:
name: Mbabane
geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Lobamba (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:
the first constitution was signed into law in July 2005 and is
scheduled to be implemented in January 2006

Legal system:
based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and
Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age

Executive branch:
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14
November 2003)
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 18 October 2003 (next to be
held October 2008)
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:
The status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear
under the new (2006)Constitution and currently being debated - the
following are considered political associations; Imbokodvo Nat