King of Swaziland rejects draft constitution News
King of Swaziland rejects draft constitution

[JURIST] King Mswati III of Swaziland [government website] has officially refused to sign the final draft of the country's proposed constitution [link to PDF text], which passed through both the House of Assembly and Senate of Swaziland in June [JURIST report]. The king had already sent the constitution back to parliament [JURIST report] a week ago, asking parliament to reconsider adopting Christianity as the country's official religion. King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, ordered parliament to reconsider passages in the constitution that require members of parliament to receive their salaries should parliament be dissolved early. The king also expressed unhappiness with sections that would require taxation for royals, as they are currently free from paying taxes. If parliament does not accept the king's changes, he has the authority to make them law. King Mswati has been criticized by many for his lavish lifestyle during a time when most Swazis live in poverty and over 30% are HIV positive. BBC News has more. South Africa's Mail and Guardian has local coverage.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

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On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.