On a patch of grass beside a mountain track, eSwatini parliamentary candidate Alec Lushaba makes one final push for votes - addressing an audience of five women and four children.

Electioneering is a low-key affair in the country formerly known as Swaziland, which goes to the polls on Friday in a ballot that has thrown light on a unique, and much criticised, version of democracy.

Lushaba is dressed in a traditional robe which leaves his shoulders and legs bare, and which is emblazoned with birthday wishes to King Mswati III, the absolute monarch who rules over the tiny African kingdom.

Lushaba dismissed criticism that the vote is undemocratic because of the king's unlimited powers - and a law that bars political parties from taking part in elections.

"No, this election is the best example of direct representation," Lushaba, 46, told AFP.

"There are no parties to get between the people and their representatives," said Lushaba, who is running for the first time as a candidate. "It is rooted in local communities, who choose who they want to represent them."

Parliamentary candidates stand as individuals and are selected by small "chiefdom" districts in a first round of voting, then compete in the main election to win in one of 59 constituency races.