Commonwealth calls for democratic reforms

A Commonwealth team monitoring last month's parliamentary elections has criticised the lack of basic democratic freedoms in Swaziland. In a letter to Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, the three-member team led by Barbados MP David Thompson, with Tanzanian National Electoral Commissioner Hilary Mkatte and Nigerian election expert Angela Odah, concluded that the 18 October elections were largely devoid of meaning. "We do not regard the credibility of these national elections as an issue: no elections can be credible when they are for a parliament which does not have power, and when political parties are banned," the team wrote. "The organisations that are needed to provide a structure for political participation to inject issues into the campaign by translating preferences into public policies and programmes; to present a comprehensive alternative to the incumbent government; to aggregate and represent social interest; and to carry out all the other functions that political parties perform, are prohibited," the three members noted in their election report. As a result of the ban on political parties, candidates had no choice but to focus on local issues, to the detriment of national priorities, knowing that King Mswati determines national policy. "This places a heavy burden on NGOs, for, in the absence of political parties, it falls to them to act as vehicles for change, to express dissent, to promote transparency and to enhance the national conversation," the report said. Freedom of speech, which is essential for credible election debate, is lacking in Swaziland, the group noted. "The denial of freedom of association – one of the most fundamental political freedoms – is accompanied by limitations on freedom of speech through the occasional harassment of journalists and a government policy not to permit private broadcasting." The Commonwealth team also found that the campaign for political reform by pro-democracy activists, trade unions and civil society had been met with police action ranging from the withholding of permission for meetings, to the forcible dispersal of such events, harassment and arrests. They expressed surprise and disappointment at election coverage by the government-owned radio. "We believe that the absence of political campaigning, as it is understood elsewhere in the world, has reduced the opportunities for the candidates to interact with, and be accountable to, the voters, and has harmed the electoral process," the report said. The Swazi National Elections office charged with voter education said budgetary limitations prevented such activities. NGOs' attempts at civic education were met with official resistance, civil groups told the team. Candidates were forbidden by law from campaigning until after they were nominated, which meant most candidates were unknown to the people of the 55 electoral districts. The Commonwealth team noted that when candidates did meet with voters, the dialogue was about local development funding, and governance issues were never raised. "This reflected a general tendency by voters to see MPs much more as conduits for local development than legislators with a national agenda," said the report. In fact, Swazi MPs do not legislate, but are an "advisory body" to King Mswati, with parliament debating bills brought to it by cabinet-appointed ministers. The timing of the elections while a new constitution was under consideration seemed questionable, the Commonwealth team felt. "Many we spoke to said they thought the national elections should have been held only after the constitution was adopted, and the independence of the judiciary and the strengthening of gender equality [was assured]. However, the means and the timing of the [constitution's] adoption are as yet unclear. The draft does not provide for a transfer of power from the King to the parliament and government, and it retains the ban on political parties," the report said. The team were left in no doubt that Swazis possessed the will to accept a more active role in their own governance, rather than their relative powerlessness as the subjects of a monarch, which is their fate as envisioned in a new constitution promulgated by the palace. "We were impressed by the genuineness and sincerity of the Swazi people, especially the voters we encountered on polling day: straightforward people who are striving for a better life," the team said. Among the positive aspects of the election, the report noted, was that it was competently conducted, and "the number of women candidates, though still inadequate, increased". Accepting the report, Commonwealth Secretary-General McKinnon noted: "The report sets these elections in a wider political context, arguing in particular for an appropriate transfer of power from the King to the parliament and the government, and for freedom of association." McKinnon said he would pursue with King Mswati the points raised on democratic change in the report, as part of "our continuing dialogue on political reform in Swaziland". A palace source told IRIN that the government was surprised by the contents of the Commonwealth report. "We thought the Commonwealth monitors were here to see if there was ballot box tampering and the like. Why are they saying the king's powers should be shifted to parliament? That was not their mandate."