They sent the picture to
the candidate making the bribe by WhatsApp, the Times of
Swaziland reported.
It happened at the Mavuso
Trade and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday (21 August 2018) during the ‘special
election’ ahead on the kingdom’s main primary election on Saturday.
The Times reported, ‘Voters, as is the law, were allowed to be in the
polling booth on their own and that was when they sneaked in an opportunity to
take pictures of who they had voted for.’
The newspaper reported that
candidates who had offered bribes wanted the proof.
It added, ‘One woman, when
interviewed, confirmed that she had done so to give proof to the candidate that
she had voted for her.
‘“I want my preferred
candidate to have a peace of mind knowing that I voted for her,” she said.
‘Others stated that the
candidates had demanded pictorial evidence of whom they had voted for.’
The special election was
held ahead of the main vote for people who would be working on Saturday at the
primary elections.
During the day there were reports of illegal
campaigning. In Swaziland, recently
renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III,
candidates are not allowed to campaign for votes until after the first round of
elections, known as primaries, have been completed. Campaigning is only allowed
ahead of the final secondary election to be held on 21 September 2018.
The Swazi
Observer reported (23 August 2018) that candidates ‘openly canvassed for votes during the special
voting exercise’.
It added, ‘Some
of the candidates were found wandering at the gate to the Mavuso Trade Centre
pleading with people to vote for them.’
There were also complaints that the day had been badly
organised by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC). The Observer reported a ‘near stampede’ as ‘hundreds of voters pushed and shoved in order to
cast their votes first’. Police had to be called to keep order.
It added, ‘Hundreds
of special voters flocked the area as early as 7am hoping to cast their votes
first and return to their respective homes or places of employment.
‘However, voters were
informed that they will have to queue according to their different chiefdoms
and not according to who got to the place first.
‘This did not go down well
with the voters who complained of being overtaken by those who arrived late.
This resulted in voters pushing and shoving despite being told that they will
be called according to their chiefdoms.
‘Tempers flared as some
voters threatened one another with violence as they pushed to vote.
‘Voters especially those
from the Hhohho region had a tough day during the voting process as some were
almost turned back without having voted.
‘This happened after the
voters were told that it was way too late and their line was very long.’
The Observer
said, ‘Outside the pavilion, there was so much pushing and
shoving such that some of the [EBC] officers eventually called for police to
come and manage the situation which was getting out of hand.’
Elections in Swaziland are widely
regarded as not democratic by official observers because political
parties are banned from taking part. The King choses the Prime
Minister and government and the parliament has no powers as these rest with the
King.
In Swaziland, people are only allowed to vote for 59 members of the
House of Assembly, the King appoints a further 10. No members
of the 30-strong Swaziland Senate are elected by the people.
See also
Voter
Bribery Rife in Swaziland in Run-up to First Round of National Election
Organised
Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic
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