Lesotho IEC Collaboration with Stakeholders

1
Lesotho IEC Collaboration with Stakeholders
2
Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
3
Mission Statement.

• At the IEC of Lesotho, we responsively deliver
  acceptable, free, fair, transparent and
  accessible elections to the Basotho Nation
• To achieve this, we consciously and continuously
  improve and learn to improve our effective
  team-work and performance by using effective
  communication strategies and participatory
  approaches.
• In all these, we earnestly enlist the honest
  support of, and are fully accountable to, all
  stakeholders in the Lesotho Elections

4
Building Sustainable Electoral Partnerships
5
Formation of Consultative Committees

• Party Delegates Committee
• Media Liaison Committee
• Voter Education Committee
• Logistics Committee
• Security Liaison Committee
• Conflict Management Committee
• Law Committee
• Data Management Committee
• Election Coordination Committee

6
Holding Workshops

• Political Parties
• Principal Chiefs
• Chiefs
• Judges of the High Court
• Principals of Lower and Higher Primary schools
• Headmasters of Secondary and High schools
• Students of the National University
• Churches
• Non Governmental Organisations
• Political Youth Groups
• People with Disabilities

7
Development of the Registration System

• Discussions With Political Parties
• Final Agreed Registration System
• Characteristics of the agreed system

8
Characteristics of the agreed system

• Duplication
• Citizenship
• Age
• Control
• Ghost Voters
• Transparency
• Accuracy and reliability
• Security
• Cost Effectiveness

9
Registration of Voters

• Identification of Registration Centres
• Agreeing location of Registration Centres with
  Political Parties
• Criteria on selection of registration staff
  agreed with Political Parties
• Employment of Registration Staff
• Engagement of Political Party agents
• Engagement of Official Witnesses
• Training of Registration Staff,Party Agents and
  official witnesses under one roof
• Identification of persons who are potential
  voters at the Registration Centres
  passport,baptismal certificate,official witness

10
Capture of data on Registration of Voters

• Data included photographs,bio-data,finger prints
  and signatures
• Integrate them to appear on one Registration sheet

11
Display of Voters Register

• Display of the 1st Register
• 1st Register given to Political Parties for
  scrutiny

12
Registration of 17 year olds

• Registration Centres open for registration of 17
  year olds
• Registration for 17 year olds opens for one week
  only
• Display of voter register for 17 year olds
• Political Parties given voter register for 17
  year olds

13
Display of Voters Register

• 2ND Voters Register displayed following
  incorporation of the data on 17 year olds into
  the main Register
• Political Parties given 2nd voter register for
  scrutiny

14
Compilation of the Final Voters Register

• Final voters register produced
• Political parties given the final voters register

15
Nomination of Candidates

• Identification of Nomination Courts
• Gazzettement of nomination courts
• Appointment of Returning officers
• Gazzettement of Returning officers
• Return of nominated candidates

16
Preparations for voting day

• Procurement of Ballot paper
• Provision of ballot boxes,seals,indelible ink
  etc.
• Criteria on selection of voting station officers
  agreed with Political Parties
• Appointment of voting station officers
• Engagement of party agents
• Engagement of official witnesses
• Identification of voting stations
• Voting stations agreed with Political Parties
• Training of voting station officers,party agents
  and official witnesses under one roof

17
Publication of Results at voting stations

• Reconciliation of ballot paper at voting stations
• Counting at voting stations
• Announcement of results at voting stations
• Presence of Party Agents in voting stations
• Party Agents signing for the results at voting
  stations
• Party Agents retaining copy of the Results
• Results transferred to the Returning Officer
• Party Agents form part of the entourage to the
  Returning Officers office

18
Publication of results at the Returning Officers
Office

• Presence of Candidates and/or Party Agents
• Returning Officer adds results from voting
  stations
• Returning Officer Announces results for the
  Constituency
• Results transferred to the District H/Q
• Party Agents form part of the entourage to the
  office of the Area Electoral Officer at the
  District H/Q

19
Transmission of results from District H/Q to the
Results Center in Maseru

• Presence of Party Agents/Party Representatives
• Area Electoral Officer transmits the results by
  fax machine

20
Publication of the results at the Results Centre
in Maseru

• Presence of Election Coordination Committee and
  general public
• Fax machine receiving results from district H/Q
• Copies of results made
• Commissioners announce the results
• Results displayed on the big screen

21
Gazzettement of returned Candidates

• All Returning Officers submit original results to
  the Commission
• Verification of results
• Gazzettement
• Gazzette delivered to the Speaker of the National
  Assembly.

22
Challenges

• Transparency is a norm of good election
  management but not yet a legal norm.
• Limited economic opportunities
• Job exists in government bureacracy security
  forces and other organs of the state.
• Attendant Implications
• Ruling partys control of access to jobs
• Parliamentary seats highly coveted perks and
  steady salaries.
• Raising of personal stakes for political
  competition
• Adversarial political culture and propensity
  towards violence.