The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Lesotho, Chief Observer, Mr. Ignazio Corrao says opening, voting and counting took place in a calm and peaceful atmosphere and was conducted in a transparent manner.
This he said when presenting the Mission’s preliminary statement at a press conference held in Maseru on Sunday, where he said though limited financial resources marred preparations for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and uncertainty regarding the applicable legal framework, the IEC carried out most of its activities according to the election calendar, and its staff managed election by professionally displaying strong dedication to their duties.
He stated that EU EOM deployed 87 international observers to all 10 districts covering all 80 constituencies, adding that they visited 371 out of the 3,149 polling stations.
Mr Corrao stressed that the mission observed a peaceful campaign period, however saying unlimited campaign spending and biased radio coverage contributed to an uneven playing field among contestants disadvantaging smaller parties and independent candidates.
He, therefore, congratulated the future members of the National Assembly for their election and encouraged them to take over the reforms process which is essential to further strengthen democracy and stability in the Kingdom of Lesotho.
“I would like to express my respect for the staff of election administration who did all they could to fulfil their responsibility despite budgetary constraints, as well as for the people of Lesotho, in particular the party agents for their commitment on election day,” he said, saying he trusts that the officially declared election results will be accepted and those ant potential grievances will be resolved in the courts.
Meanwhile, in their presentation, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) led by the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, Mr. Frans Kapofi said they also deployed 40 observers across the country and they visited 158 polling stations on election day to observe the opening, voting, closing and counting procedures in their areas of deployment with 54 percent in urban and 46 percent in rural areas.
He said 87 percent of the polling stations opened on time with IEC staff following the required opening procedures and guidelines, further commending the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) for their presence inside and outside the polling stations and for conducting their work professionally.
He said the queues were well-controlled and all voters behaved well at the polling stations visited, adding that material delivered in advance made the voting easy.
The Commonwealth representative, Mr. Danny Faure also said Lesotho has indeed outdone herself in conducting the elections, however, said they have made recommendations that IEC and the Legislator should review the procedures for compilation of the voter register to better ensure its reliability, especially on duplication, removal of deceased persons, and inclusion of youth.
They recommended IEC’s policies to facilitate assisted voters to persons with disability, seniors, and other groups in prioritising or assisting them in order to make their votes also count.
The final report of the EU EOM, including its recommendations, will be published after the completion of the electoral process.
The missions which were launched in late September and early October in Lesotho observed preparations for the pre-roll, polling period and counting in many polling places across the 10 districts of the Kingdom, they will remain in the country until the completion of the electoral process.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Lesotho.
Source: Apo-Opa
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