LESOTHO: CALM ELECTION DELIVERS WAKE-UP CALL TO GOVERNING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MASERU 000077 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PREL PGOV EAID LT SUBJECT: LESOTHO: CALM ELECTION DELIVERS WAKE-UP CALL TO GOVERNING PARTY REF: MASERU 75 AND PREVIOUS MASERU 00000077 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: Early unofficial results from Lesotho's national election on February 17 indicate that the governing political party, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD),will likely retain control of Parliament and form a new government. The LCD, however, received a significant wake-up call from the country's voters: at least five leading cabinet Ministers were ousted from the National Assembly; the party's previous domination of the legislature has dissipated; and the upstart All Basotho Congress (ABC) will arrive in Parliament as a formidable opposition. Opposition parties, however, have raised serious concerns over vote tabulation in several of Lesotho's 80 "constituencies" (electoral districts),which could delay publication of final election results, including the distribution of the National Assembly's 40 proportional seats. Despite these disputes, opposition leaders indicate they will not attempt to annul overall results or obstruct the formation of a new government. Instead, they claim that they intend to pursue their grievances through the courts. Official results may be presented by auditors February 21 or 22. ¶2. International observers, including a substantial U.S. mission election monitoring team, concur that balloting on February 17 appeared to be free, fair, and peaceful, representing a victory for democracy in this developing nation. Lesotho's Independent Election Commission (IEC) mobilized over 20,000 individuals to operate 2,558 polling stations throughout the country. Voting was slow and laborious, but was also remarkably orderly, calm, and transparent. There were numerous procedural discrepancies at individual polling stations--primarily the result of logistical challenges and inexperienced electoral workers--but observers saw no evidence of systematic malfeasance. Voter turnout appears to have been lower than the 2002 election (60% turnout),but may have surpassed 50 percent of the 900,000 registered voters. Embassy Maseru's robust monitoring mission, the most significant diplomatic observation operation for this election, covered seven of Lesotho's ten districts, producing valuable insights into how the election unfolded in a variety of different settings. From this vantage point, Lesotho's polling appeared fully transparent and possibly a model for other African states. END SUMMARY. -------------- EARLY RESULTS: WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE LCD -------------- ¶3. According to the IEC, as of early February 20 the governing LCD party had secured victory in 62 of Lesotho's 80 constituencies. The upstart ABC opposition party, founded only four months ago by former LCD minister Tom Thabane, had scored 17 seats. The small Alliance of Congress Parties (ACP) had won a single seat. (Note: In the 2002 national election, the LCD dominated the National Assembly, winning 79 of 80 constituencies. End Note.) The official 2007 election audit has not been completed, however, and results therefore remain unofficial. Futhermore, opposition parties have disputed the ballot count in several constituencies. Once the tally for the 80 constituencies is finalized, the IEC will distribute the 40 remaining proportional seats on the basis of the constituency results as well as a second ballot that voters used for political parties. ¶4. Preliminary results indicate that the ABC faired best in urban areas, almost scoring a slam dunk in the heavily populated district of Maseru (comprised of 18 constituencies). The power of the incumbency, however, appears to have given the governing LCD a slim majority of the total National Assembly seats. Nonetheless, at least five leading members of cabinet (and leaders of the LCD party) were ousted, including the veteran Ministers of Health; Tourism, Environment and Culture (who also serves as the deputy Secretary General of the LCD); Natural Resources; Public Works; and Agriculture. The LCD Assistant Minister of Agriculture also lost his seat. -------------- Embassy Maseru's Monitoring Mission -------------- ¶5. U.S. Mission Maseru conducted a thorough but targeted monitoring effort during Lesotho's 2007 National Assembly elections. This effort involved the deployment of Embassy officers, FSNs, EFMs, and TDYers at polling stations in Lesotho's four most populous districts and three outlying districts. In each of Lesotho's four most populous districts (Maseru, Leribe, Berea, and Mafeteng),which combined represent two-thirds of the nation's population, we placed two Embassy teams. One team remained close to the district capital, while the second roved through the district's countryside. To avoid geographic over-concentration, three separate teams deployed to MASERU 00000077 002.2 OF 003 three remote districts (Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, and Qacha's Nek). The Embassy had also requested NDI support through USAID. In partnership with the Lesotho Council of NGOs, also under USG funding, NDI placed monitors in over 200 polling stations. Additional teams, including the Ambassador, DCM, and Emboffs, monitored election polling in Maseru City and election events at Lesotho's National Results Center. -------------- Notes From the Field -------------- ¶6. U.S. Embassy and other international monitoring teams reported that a calm, though (sometimes painfully) slow emphasis on following rules and procedures characterized the election process. As each voter cast two ballots (one as a direct vote for a candidate from one of 80 constituencies and a second for a political party),the potential for voter confusion was high. However, IEC personnel patiently explained the procedure to voters, and most teams reported that the process was smooth. Some problems occurred with voter registration lists, a source of high concern over recent weeks; SADC observers cautioned the GOL and the IEC to address this issue before future elections. ¶7. At all of the 90-plus polling stations visited by U.S. Embassy personnel, a contingent of party agents (representatives of the political parties) was present. Party agents witnessed the entire process, from the sealing of ballot boxes at the opening of the polls until the final vote tallies were officially recorded. Party agents were free to raise objections, but were remarkably quiet at most stations. During tabulation, party agents were shown every individual ballot and told by the polling station's presiding officer his/her ruling on the ballot. Although this technique allowed for maximum transparency, the process prolonged vote counting for up to two days at some locations as officials conducted tabulation by candle light. Party agents for the leading parties--the LCD, ABC, and BNP--were present at 92%, 88%, 86%, respectively, of the 90-plus polling stations visited by Embassy teams. Subsequent to Election Day, opposition parties (including the ABC and the BNP) have reported that party agents objected to the final tabulation in several constituencies, claiming that IEC workers have reported fabricated local results to the National Results Center. -------------- What Were the Problems? -------------- ¶8. Despite the Embassy teams' overall positive impressions, procedural and logistical problems were observed at most polling stations. In one polling station in Berea district, polling was stopped for two hours when a GOL vehicle dropped off a number of individuals who where prevented from voting by locals who did not believe that they were properly registered to vote at that station. IEC mediators arrived at the scene, and the situation was soon resolved. A local watchdog radio station reported other instances of voters questionably transported by government vehicles. Also, GOL ministers made frequent appearances at polling stations, although it is a matter of interpretation whether their presence violated Lesotho's electoral "Code of Conduct". ¶9. Of the 90-plus stations visited by U.S. Embassy Teams: - 7% opened late. Three of these were in Maseru district, and most opened within one hour of the 7:00 a.m. national opening. - 9% were missing some electoral materials (usually ballot box seals). With the exception of one Maseru polling station, at which missing ballots delayed voting by three hours, the missing material did not cause significant problems. - 7% of ballot boxes were not properly sealed. No Embassy teams concluded that this affected the integrity of the election. - 17% of the Embassy teams reported slow voting that could cause potential voters to leave before casting their ballots. (NOTE: Each polling station had approximately 400-500 registered voters, requiring the processing of 40-50 voters per hour to accommodate full turnout. Most stations, however, averaged half that pace. END NOTE.) - 20% of stations visited had the presence of senior GOL officials and other candidates for office. - At 27% of polling stations, at least one individual was not allowed to vote due to registration issues. However, when such cases were explored by Embassy monitoring teams, most of these cases seemed justified under Lesotho's electoral law and party agents did not object. - Most teams reported poor location of the secret balloting area or potential problems with secrecy. However, teams agreed that this was a hypothetical problem rather than an actual one, MASERU 00000077 003.2 OF 003 as there was no apparent voter intimidation or objection by party agents. - At 9% of polling stations, some confusion was reported regarding the two ballot system. ¶10. The presence of political candidates, including senior GOL officials, at polling stations was viewed by some observers and opposition parties as skirting electoral laws that prohibit campaigning during the final 24 hours of the election season. According to local press reports, Foreign Minister Moleleki, who was observed mingling with voters inside several polling stations on election day, allegedly distributed large quantities of computer equipment to constituents within Maseru district on the eve of the election. ¶11. The Commonwealth and SADC delegations' debriefs for international partners pointed out the positive aspects of Lesotho's Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system (a potential model for other states),but also warned against the dangers of alliances (such as that of the ruling LCD party with the National Independence Party -- NIP) undermining the true purpose of the MMP system, i.e., allowing a broader range of representation. -------------- COMMENT: Calm and Excruciatingly Slow, but Transparent -------------- ¶12. While all election observers (including the African Union, SADC, SADC Parliamentary Forum, the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa, the Commonwealth, diplomatic missions, the NDI-supported Lesotho Council of NGOs, and the Christian Council of Lesotho) noted problems with the execution of voting at certain polling stations, all also recognized that Lesotho's 2007 elections had, on the whole, passed into history with remarkable calm and respect for the rule of law. Teams monitoring vote tabulation at individual polling found the process painfully slow and frustratingly repetitive, but completely transparent. Many issues which had alarmed the international community in recent weeks, such as the state of Lesotho's voter rolls, did not emerge to such an extent on polling day to undercut the ability of most voters to cast their ballots. ¶13. While Lesotho appears to have cleared the polling hurdle, all eyes are now turning to the next challenges - the vote tabulation process, the formation of a new government, and the peaceful acceptance of election results by all stakeholders. END COMMENT. PERRYJC