LESOTHO: FINAL RESULTS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000090 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM LT SUBJECT: LESOTHO: FINAL RESULTS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS REF: MASERU 87 AND PREVIOUS MASERU 00000090 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has released the final results of the February 17, 2007 Lesotho National Assembly election, with a controlling share of seats going to the governing Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). Voter turnout was 49 percent, and participation by young voters seems to have been limited (especially in the rural areas). The All Basotho Convention (ABC) won most of the non-LCD constituencies, while the Alliance of Congress Parties (ACP) picked up one constituency. Major opposition parties have filed complaints with the IEC regarding electoral irregularities, and court cases stemming from the election will unfold over the coming weeks and months. Smaller parties without alliances with the LCD or ABC posted only modest returns. END SUMMARY. -------------- The Numbers -------------- ¶2. Parliamentary seats were allocated as follows: Constituency Proportional Party name Seats Seats Total All Basotho Convention 17 0 17 Lesotho Congress for Democracy 61 0 61 Alliance of Congress Parties 1 1 2 Basotho Batho Democratic Party 0 1 1 Basutoland Congress Party 0 1 1 Basotho Democratic National Party 0 1 1 Basotho National Party 0 3 3 Lesotho Workers Party 0 10 10 Marematlou Freedom Party 0 1 1 National Independent Party 0 21 21 New Lesotho Freedom Party 0 0 0 Popular Front For Democracy 0 1 1 TOTALS 79* 40 119* (*) - One LCD Candidate died after the printing of ballots but before the elections, necessitating a bi-election. ¶3. The results reflect a rural/urban split, with the ABC's support coming almost exclusively from urban areas, while rural areas remained LCD strongholds. The ABC and the Basotho National Party (BNP) indicated that they intend to take legal action regarding claimed irregularities prior to and during polling day. Two of the alleged issues are the alleged use of official vehicles by ministers to ferry voters to polling stations and the donation of school equipment to certain constituencies on the eve of the election, after the end of the official campaign period. -------------- Local vs. International Opinion MASERU 00000090 002.2 OF 002 -------------- ¶4. Domestic election monitors tended to see Lesotho's election conditions in a harsher light than international observers. In their interim statements, international observers such as Southern African Development Community (SADC),African Union (AU),SADC-Parliamentary Forum, the Commonwealth, and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) generally stated that the elections were free and fair. Local observers, including the Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN),the Crossroads Youth Organization (supported by the German Diplomatic Service), and the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) each stressed that the fairness of the elections has yet to be determined. ¶5. International and local observers both criticized the use by major parties of smaller parties as "surrogates" to claim larger portions of the proportional representation seats (see REFTEL for a fuller explanation of the allocation of constituency and proportional representation parliamentary seats under the "Mixed Member Proportional" (MMP) system). Most observers saw the use of "surrogates" (the National Independent Party (NIP) for the LCD and the Lesotho Workers Party (LWP) for the ABC) as a subversion of the intent of the MMP system. -------------- We Haven't Heard The Last... -------------- ¶6. COMMENT: It is still unclear what the composition of the new cabinet will look like, as five LCD Ministers failed in their re-election bids (though they may retain seats, and possibly be reappointed to Ministerial posts, due to their inclusion in the NIP party list or through appointments to the Senate). During a recent press conference, Prime Minister and LCD Party Leader Pakalitha Mosisili stated that he is under no obligation to include members of the allied NIP party in his new cabinet. It is also worthy of note that the opposition is making political hay of the fact that the 2006 census, due out in December 2006, has still not been made public. Sensing a conspiracy (not unusual in such a spread-out, mountainous country with poor communications),opposition figures state that the census would prove fraud with regard to the large number of voters reported in certain rural areas. Regardless of the accuracy of this claim, it is clear that arguments concerning the 2007 National Assembly election will predictably dominate Lesotho's political landscape for some time to come. We should note, however, that despite numerous rallies, roundtables, and the like, on the whole there is a commitment to set parameters through legislative reforms or court cases in this burgeoning democracy. END COMMENT. PERRY