THE Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) has rejected a Commonwealth plan for democratisation that it says would keep the tyrannical monarchy.

The Commonwealth plan envisions a “collective roadmap,” including a national convention for a new democratic constitution.

It also calls for repealing the 1973 state of emergency decree, allowing the formation of political parties and freeing political prisoners.

These include People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) leader Mario Masuku, who has been detained for more than a year on charges of sedition and terrorism after addressing a May Day rally in Manzini.

The Swaziland high court ruled in March 2005 that political parties were unconstitutional and all trade unions were banned in October 2014.

In a statement released yesterday, CPS general secretary Kenneth Kunene said: “This agenda is hopelessly confused and fails totally to put the process in the hands of the Swazi people and the pro-democracy formations — including the trade union movement — that are crucial players in any democratic transition.”

Swaziland won independence from Britain in 1968, but in 1973 King Sobhuza II declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution, ruling by decree until his death in 1982.

Under Swaziland’s tinkhundla system of government, his successor King Mswati III (pictured) appoints 10 members of the 65-seat lower house of parliament and 20 of the 30 senators, as well as wielding the power of veto over legislation.

Mr Kunene called on all elements of the pro-democracy movement to distance themselves from the Commonwealth, while piling pressure on the Mswati regime to lift the ban on its parties and organisations.

“The Commonwealth is attempting to hijack any potential momentum for democratic change in our country,” he said.

“It wants to place the pro-democracy movement as a junior partner in an envisaged transition, instead of as the key player and protagonist.”

The general secretary warned against the “Lesotho solution” — a constitutional monarchy with no political mobilisation of the population to create a democratic state.

“The last thing the Commonwealth or these imperialist powers wants to see is a progressive Swaziland following a socialist path for the total empowerment of the Swazi people,” he said.