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MBABANE, Swaziland (AP) - Lawmakers in this tiny African kingdom have adopted a long-awaited constitution that seeks to meld centuries-old traditions with Western democratic principles.
A joint sitting of the House of Assembly and Senate approved the bill late Monday by a show of hands. King Mswati III must approve the document before it becomes law.
Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch, has been under international pressure to bring reform to his kingdom of about 1 million people. The country has been ruled by royal decree since 1973, when Mswati's father, King Sobhuza II, banned political parties.
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