FEW WOMEN IN SWAZILAND ELECTIONS

Times of Swaziland

27 August 2008

Vote for a woman campaign blow

By WELCOME DLAMINI

MBABANE – The primary elections’ official preliminary results reflect that the ‘vote for a woman’ campaign has had little success.

For now, the results reflect that only 19 women out of 175 chiefdoms have made it to the secondary elections.

So far the Manzini region has the most number of women compared to Hhohho and Lubombo, while in the Shiselweni region the Elections and Boundaries Commission is still awaiting a report.

In Manzini 10 women have won out of 90 chiefdoms where voting results have been submitted to the EBC.

In the Hhohho region only eight women out of 46 chiefdoms have proceeded to the secondary elections.

In the Lubombo region, out of 39 chiefdoms only one woman emerged victorious.

The above figure looks set to go even lower because some of these women are going to compete against each other in the secondary election.

In the Mbabane East constituency for example, outgoing MP Esther Dlamini will face another female in Eunice Skhosana.

Some women will face much stiffer competition as they are up against seasoned male politicians.

Lomcebo Dlamini of the Women and Law in Southern Africa – WLSA (Swaziland chapter) who have been pushing the ‘vote for a woman campaign’ said they were yet to sit down and look at the results.

"Some of the results are not even in so it is difficult to tell how things went but if you can contact me after a day or two," Dlamini said.

Link http://www.times.co.sz/News/941.html