|
|
Advertisements:
GovernmentCountry 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 19 S, 31 08 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 the UK)
Constitution
Signed by the King July 2005; went into effect 8 February 2006 Legal system
Mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law International law organization participation
Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt Suffrage
18 years of age
Executive branch
Chief of state
King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) Head of government Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 16 October 2008) Cabinet Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch Elections None; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly Legislative branch
Bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members elected by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members to serve five-year terms) Elections House of Assembly - last held on 19 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2013) Election results House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election 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
Supreme Court; High Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission Political parties and leaders
The status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the 2006 Constitution and currently being debated; the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president] Political pressure groups and leaders
Swaziland Democracy Campaign; Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland Solidarity Network or SSN International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the us
Chief of mission
Ambassador Abednigo Mandla NTSHANGASE Chancery 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 Telephone [1] (202) 234-5002FAX [1] (202) 234-8254 Diplomatic representation from the us
Chief of mission Ambassador Earl M. IRVING
Embassy 2350 Mbabane Place, Mbabane Mailing address P. O. Box 199, Mbabane Telephone [268] 404-2445 FAX [268] 404-2059 Flag description
Three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally; blue stands for peace and stability, red represents past struggles, and yellow the mineral resources of the country; the shield, spears, and staff symbolize protection from the country's enemies, while the black and white of the shield are meant to portray black and white people living in peaceful coexistence National symbol(s)
Lion; elephant
National anthem
Name
"Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati" (Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi) Lyrics/music Andrease Enoke Fanyana SIMELANE/David Kenneth RYCROFT Note Adopted 1968; the anthem uses elements of both ethnic Swazi and Western music styles
Comments
Add a new comment: |
Advertisement
Members area
Swaziland (Mbabane):
 
GPS points from Swaziland (Mbabane)
|
||||||||
Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.