55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly--last held NA September and NA October
1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: House of Assembly--balloting is done on a nonparty
basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of
each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates
with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a
single winner by a second round

Judicial branch: High Court, judges are appointed by the monarch;
Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the monarch

Political parties and leaders:
note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated
on 13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding
large public gatherings
illegal parties: People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
chancery: Suite 3M, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alan R. McKEE
embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane

Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red
(triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered
in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two
spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed
horizontally

Economy

Economy--overview: In this small landlocked economy, subsistence
agriculture occupies more than 60% of the population. Manufacturing
features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined
in importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were
depleted by 1978, and health concerns have cut world demand for
asbestos. Exports of soft drink concentrate, sugar and wood pulp are
the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa,
except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily
dependent on South Africa from which it receives nearly all of its
imports and to which it sends more than half of its exports.
Remittances from Swazi