Banned opposition gets a seat in parliament//KILL

Only the second avowed member of a banned political party in 33 years has won a seat in Swaziland's parliament. Jimmy Hlophe, a member of the outlawed Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), defeated his opponent by a 55-vote margin on a small voter turnout to represent the Mahlangatsha constituency, 40 km southeast of the capital, Mbabane. "I am in this in my personal capacity. I have a responsibility to represent all the people in my constituency," said Hlophe in a statement. Hlophe won a special election called after the death of the previous Mahlangatsha MP, but was careful to position himself as an individual and not a party representative, because electoral laws and the new constitution do not permit political groups to field candidates. King Sobhuza II, father of the current monarch King Mswati III, banned political parties in 1973 after the NNLC won three seats in the parliamentary elections of 1972. It was deemed a setback for the royal Imbokodvo Party, which had previously swept the board. Hlophe is a known political activist who has participated in rallies calling for a return to multiparty democracy in Swaziland. The NNLC operates within the law by not revealing the names of its members, and does not hold public meetings or distribute literature. Former Prime Minister Obed Dlamini, appointed by King Mswati to run government from 1989 to 1993, shocked royal circles when he became president of the NNLC. He sought a seat in parliament, but failed to win it. Swaziland's parliament consists of a 65-seat House of Assembly, 10 of whose members are appointed by the king, and a 30-seat Senate. All the senators are appointed, either by the House of Assembly or the king.