One theory is that the women who served in the last parliament failed to live up to expectations. A former female senator who spoke on condition of anonymity says that controversy clouded the good work of female parliamentarians.
“One was always making controversial statements about her personal life in the media and this did not do much to instil confidence in women generally. Unfortunately, if one woman errs, all the rest are judged by her actions. I wish I could say the same is true for men but this is not the case.”
The electoral system combined with existing cultural practices that discriminate against women and favour men, obstruct women from participating in government.
Women still need to seek permission from their spouses if they wish to join the election race. In addition, the ‘pull her down syndrome' also persists since the female electorate does not want to show support to women who pursue a political career and challenge the status quo.
In the primary elections, one candidate is elected from each chiefdom. Those elected then go on to represent the chiefdom in the general election, where the electorate vote for one candidate from each of the 55 constituencies into the House of Assembly in Parliament. King Mswati appoints the Prime Minister and the remaining ten seats in the 65-seat Assembly. The Assembly and the King then select cabinet ministers and senators.
This has led many people to dub the electoral system ‘selections' rather than elections, and this ‘selection' process clearly does not favour women.
Former MP Jennifer Du Pont is convinced she lost in the primary elections in August because a chief told his subjects that it was against custom to vote for a woman in mourning, since she lost her husband in May. Although the country's constitution gave Du Pont the right to decide whether to adhere to this custom, he said customary law was still superior to the constitution.
Furthermore, scales continue to tip in favour of men because some candidates can afford to buy food parcels and alcohol for their constituency long before the primary elections. Women and other marginalised groups simply do not have the money. Moreover, due to high levels of poverty, voters sell their vote to the highest bidder and only the wealthy, mostly male candidates can afford this.
We cannot blame women for the county's stark gender imbalances. Until we financially empower women, government employs legislated quotas and the constitution overrides discriminatory customary laws, women will never make it through the selection process. If women are to make a comeback in the next elections, the real campaigning needs to begin today! Let's hope that the Southern African countries holding elections before 2015 use their last opportunity for gender equality to the fullest.
Bongiwe Zwane is a public relations practitioner in Swaziland. Katherine Robinson is the editor and communications manager at Gender Links. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service, bringing you fresh views on everyday news.