INCIDENTS ALLEGED BY SWADEPA’s SECRETARY GENERAL:

In 2004, after the Swaziland Lawyers for Human Rights called for the Constitution process not to be adopted due to their exclusionary process, Eswatini ignored the recommendation by the African Commission and resolution of the African Union Summit and went on to adopt a constitution which was product of an exclusionary process.

In 2003, Commonwealth election observers recommended that they should ensure that the constitution which was not yet adopted should include pluralism and the role of political parties for their next elections to meet democratic elections.

In 2008, the Commonwealth election observers recommended that there should be a dialogue between the authorities and political parties so as to ensure that subsequent elections are truly democratic and multiparty, government ignored that advice and recommendation, as 2013 round of elections were still not multiparty.

In 2011, at the UPR in Geneva when asked about t he banning and non- registration of political parties, government said the Bill of registering political parties is in process to date there is no such Bill. In 2013, new election laws were passed but did not accommodate pluralism and multi parties.

In 2015, after the EU had taken a resolution against Eswatini due to non- compliance to the Bill of rights in the Constitution in particular the freedom of expression, government sent a delegation to EU Parliament to say political parties are not banned and lawful yet there was no statute to register them to date.

In 2015, Eswatini lost AGOA benefits due to noncompliance with human rights and worker rights which already existed in the Constitution of the land, such as worker rights and freedom of expression to mention but a few.

In 2018, the African Union election observers stated categorically that they could not qualify the elections as free and fair because there were no political parties in the country’s electoral process; African Union ( AU) further recommended that Eswatini should amend Section 79 of the Constitution. This is to mention but a few systemic resistances to adapt to the respect of the fundamental rights and democratization of the country.