Swaziland Government

The government of Swaziland is carried out as an absolute monarchy with legislative duties held by a parliamentary body. As an absolute monarchy, this country has a king who acts as the Head of State. Following tradition, the King of Swaziland rules with his mother or a symbolic female, who acts as the Ndlovukazi, the national Head of State. The bicameral Parliament is made up of the Senate (30 seats) and the House of Assembly (66 seats). This body is lead by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the King.

The citizens of Swaziland elect 55 of the 66 members of the House of Assembly. These individuals represent each of the 55 constituencies in the country, one elected representative per constituency. Additionally, the citizens select a Speaker of the House. The remaining 10 members are appointed by the King; half of these seats are reserved for women. The House of Assembly is required to be made up of a minimum of 30% women. The House representatives go on to select 10 members to serve on the Senate, half of which must be women. The King appoints an additional 20 senators, of which 8 must be women. The King then appoints a Prime Minister from these individuals.

The House of Parliament is located in the city of Lobamba in Swaziland. This building has an octagonal shape and 3 distinct outer surfaces. The bottom surface is built of stones, has no windows, and holds a glass front door. The second surface hangs over the stone bottom and is made of cement blocks. Each of its sides has a line of 7 small square windows. At the very top of the building sits its dome-like roof, which is green in color. The House of Parliament of Swaziland is located next to the National Museum.

Politicians in Swaziland do not affiliate with or identify as a member of any specific political party. None of the current government representatives in Swaziland belong to a political party. In fact, the National Constitution, established on October 13, 1978, prohibits the formation of political parties throughout the country and bans their representation in government.