Swaziland: A Boost for Women in Parliament

Women now comprise 30 percent of Swaziland's legislature, following King Mswati's appointments of new MPs and Senators. For a traditional nation where women are still legal minors, this accomplishment is impressive. The only question asked by political observers is: Should credit not go to Swaziland's neighbours that comprise the 14 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)? “It is SADC protocol that all nations aligned in the organisation must have a 30-percent quota of women legislators,” Doo Aphane, national director for the Swaziland branch of Women in Law for Southern Africa, told IPS.