Maseru, Sep. 01— About 35.44 percent of registered voters turned out to vote in the 2022 elections, according to a report issued by the Southern African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM).
The report shows that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) registered a total of 1,387,861 voters, of whom only 515,018 cast their ballots in the 2022 elections. Meanwhile, 872,843 registered voters, representing 64.56 percent, did not participate in the elections.
The SEOM observed that voter turnout had declined compared with the 2017 elections and fell significantly short of the IEC’s target of 60 percent.
The Mission attributed the low voter turnout to a possible gap in voter and civic education, as well as an apparent decline in interest in elections among the electorate.
However, the Mission also identified several administrative challenges that prevented some registered voters from casting their ballots. In 80 percent of the voting stations observed by SEOM, some voters were unable to vote because their names did not appear on the voters’ roll at the respective stations. Others could not be verified by their chiefs, while some voters were redirected to the correct voting stations, where they were eventually able to cast their ballots.
The Mission further observed that 33 percent of the voting stations were not easily accessible to persons with limited mobility. This was mainly attributed to Lesotho’s challenging geographical terrain and the location of some voting stations on upper floors of buildings.
Despite these challenges, SEOM noted that IEC officials at the affected voting stations provided assistance to voters with limited mobility.
Furthermore, the Observer Mission reported that the elections were conducted in a calm and peaceful political and security environment.
However, it noted that the performance of the IEC was affected by inadequate funding, despite clear provisions in the Constitution and the Electoral Laws requiring the Commission to be adequately funded to effectively discharge its mandate.
The Mission also raised concerns over the late publication of the General National Election Final Roll, which was released outside the deadlines prescribed by the National Assembly Electoral Act. According to SEOM, this resulted in some voters being unaware of their correct voting stations.
The low number of women and youth candidates was another concern raised by the Mission. SEOM said this could indicate a lack of deliberate policies by political parties to promote and ensure the participation of women and young people in politics.
The SEOM has urged the IEC to comply with Section 39(1)(e) of the National Assembly Electoral Act by publishing the General National Election Final Roll at least 30 days before election day.
The Mission further recommended that, even where there are valid reasons for rectifying the voters’ roll under Section 18(1) of the Act, all changes should be completed at least seven days before the scheduled election date, as required by Section 18(5) of the Act. The updated voters’ roll should then be published immediately.
According to SEOM, implementing these measures would provide greater certainty to registered voters regarding their designated voting stations and help improve participation in future elections.
Ends/MP
