MBABANE, Eswatini: the last absolute monarchy in Africa, holds legislative elections today (Friday) that despite recent deadly pro-democracy protests are unlikely to change the political scenery in the tightly controlled kingdom.
Over 500,000 people are registered to vote in the southern African country of 1.2 million, where polling stations open at 07:00 am (0500 GMT) and will close eleven hours later, according to AFP.
Voters are called to choose fifty-nine members of the lower house of parliament, which plays only an advisory role to the monarch, King Mswati III, who wields absolute power.
Results foreseen in the landlocked African country
The results, seen as a foregone conclusion by the opposition parties, which have largely demanded for a boycott of the election, are to be announced within a few days.
They are saying that there are polls that are free and fair, but there is nothing like that, said Sakhile Nxumalo, who heads the Swaziland Youth Congress, the youth wing of a proscribed pro-democracy party.
He added that they were not taking this election seriously because they serve the interests of only a few.
Political parties are banned in the landlocked nation between Mozambique and South Africa, and legislators cannot be affiliated with political groups.
The constitution emphasizes individual merit as the basis for selecting lawmakers. While it allows for freedom of association, opposition parties are often run from abroad.
Candidates were nominated during village councils by traditional chiefs close to the king, most of them are loyal to King Mswati, who holds all the cards.
