The small southern African nation of Eswatini is holding elections to decide part of the makeup of its parliament while its extremely wealthy king retains absolute power.
FILE - King Mswati III of Eswatini arrives for the swearing-in ceremony of Cyril Ramaphosa at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, on May 25, 2019. The small southern African nation of Eswatini was holding elections Friday Sept. 29, 2023 to decide part of the makeup of its parliament, even as the extremely wealthy king retains absolute power, political parties are banned and elected representatives can merely advise a monarch whose family has reigned supreme for 55 years.
Mswati III appoints a minority of the house of assembly, with the majority elected. He appoints a majority of the senate, though. He also appoints the prime minister and other key members of the government. from police and security forces under the king's control in 2021. The push for reform has continued, focusing primarily on the call for political parties to be unbanned and for the prime minister to be democratically elected.
Mswati has been accused of living lavishly while Eswatini struggles with widespread poverty, the highest HIV infection rate per capita in the world and a life expectancy of 57 years, one of the lowest in the world.
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