In Eswatini, members of parliament call for reform of constitutional mechanisms promoting women's representation

The House of Assembly has unanimously adopted a motion calling on Government to amend Eswatini’s electoral laws to align them with the Constitution, following concerns that the current legal framework discriminates against male candidates while failing to clearly define the role and accountability of Regional Women Members of Parliament. [ . . . ] Motivating the motion, Mamba said the current legal framework creates unequal treatment between male and female candidates who contest constituency elections. “What happens now is that when a male candidate loses an election, that is the end of the road. However, women who lose constituency elections can still become Members of Parliament through the regional women’s election process. If that opportunity exists, then the law should apply equally, or the legislation should clearly justify the distinction,” he said. Mamba argued that Parliament has a constitutional duty to ensure all citizens are treated equally before the law. He further said the legislation should explicitly define the mandate, responsibilities and reporting lines of Regional Women MPs.
Read the full article here: Eswatini Positive News