Times of Eswatini

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the Bible,” said Sabelo Ngcamphala­la.

In response to Ngcamphala­la, the Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission Prince Mhlabuhlan­gene said the unfortunat­e thing was that some of the things fell outside the jurisdicti­on of the EBC. He said once MPs were elected into Parliament, they were governed by Parliament.

Promises

However, on the issue of candidates making empty promises to the electorate during the course of the elections, Dlamini said emaSwati were at liberty to scrutinise the candidates before casting their vote. He said emaSwati should know that results of the votes could last them for five years.

The prince was supported by the EBC educators who warned the the residents against voting for MPs for food, blankets, money, among other things.

He said all emaSwati had to look at was the idea sold by the candidate. He said the idea should be initiative­s that would provide a solution to unemployme­nt, better infrastruc­ture, and better laws as opposed to food.

“When you decide to nominate a candidate, make sure you nominate someone you know from your royal kraal. You have to be clear about his/her capabiliti­es as someone you have lived with. If someone

buys you a blanket, food or offers you free ride after you have suffered for so long, ask yourself why he/she is doing that. Do not cast your vote for a one day thing,” said the educators.

They added that some aspiring candidates had a tendency of buying alcohol for the electorate, resulting in some voting while under the influence of alcohol. The educators stated that buying alcohol for voters was against the law.

“You need to know that anything that is against the law can result in the disqualifi­cation of the candidate during the cause of the elections,” EBC officers said.

The participan­ts responded by nodding their heads in agreement as the educators lectured them on the elections.

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