28 Feb 2002
Election date announced
The Kingdom of Lesotho will go to the polls on 25 May to elect a new
national assembly of 120 members. Head of State, King Letsie III, ended months
of speculation when he announced the general election date in the last week of
February. As polling day was announced the Independent Electoral Commission
(IEC) unfolded a rolling programme of activities to finalise the remaining
aspects of preparations for the general elections. "The biggest challenge is
explaining the change in the electoral model to the rural constituencies. We
don't have much time to do this. Also our resources are limited which means we
have to employ creative strategies to get to those people. We are targeting the
marginalised communities like the disabled and women in the voter education
campaign," Seabata Motsamai, Exective Director of the Lesotho NGO Council told
IRIN.
The IEC has the task of appointing and training election officials as
well as embarking on an intense voter education. The IEC has also requested the
assistance of the United Nations to coordinate international election observers
and set up a secretariat.
Lesotho's last general elections were held in 1998, but the results were
disputed by the opposition alliance of the three main opposition parties who
alleged the polls were rigged. That led to widespread arson and looting of
property in the capital, Maseru, and two outlying towns in the southern
district, resulting in the request by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili for
military intervention by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to
help restore law and order.
Some political analysts ascribe Lesotho's political problems to its
first past the post (FPTP) electoral system. The 1998 electoral outcome was an
overwhelming victory for Mosisili's Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). The
LCD won 60.7 percent and the Basuto National Party 24.5 percent of the vote.
However, owing to the FPTP electoral system the LCD took 79 seats and the BNP
only one seat in parliament. During the upcoming election both the FPTP and
proportional representation systems will be issued for elections to two
separate legislative houses. (IRIN)
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