Publication

The monarchical political system of Swaziland contrasts with the policy framework of the Southern African Development Community, which considers democracy to be one of the imperatives of economic development and human security. Swaziland's constitution from 2005 effectively vests legislative power in the king, Mswati III, who can veto all legislation approved by parliament. The author argues that this is a major weakness of the country's non-party constituency model, since even an elected legislature cannot override the veto.