05.12.2022 Maseru

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Lesotho presented its final report, including a range of recommendations, on the National Assembly Elections of  7 October 2022. Chief Observer Ignazio Corrao, Member of the European Parliament, highlighted: “Election day was well run despite financial shortcomings and legal uncertainty. To further enhance future election processes in Lesotho, it is important to provide the IEC with budgetary independence, with strengthened transparency and accountability requirements, to improve the accuracy of the voter register as well as to introduce reasonable limitations on campaign expenditures and prohibition on the use of state resources for campaign purposes.”   

The EU EOM final report contains a total of 21 recommendations. The report also suggests strengthening the independence of the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) as well as the implementation of continuous civic education. The majority of the recommendations offered by the EU EOM require legal changes to be implemented.  

The Mission’s final report is the result of a comprehensive analysis of the October 2022 National Assembly  elections, which takes into consideration all aspects of the electoral process: the political environment, the role of the media and social media in the campaign, the performance of the IEC, as well as the compliance with national law and international and regional standards regarding democratic elections. 

In his concluding remarks, Mr Corrao expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of electoral stakeholders and the authorities of Lesotho with the EU EOM and noted: “We hope that these recommendations contribute to the engagement on Lesotho’s ongoing electoral and constitutional reform process. This entails the full achievement of fundamental principles and values of democratic elections in line with the expectations of the Basotho people.”

A core part of the future Lesotho-EU dialogues will be the follow up of the 2022 EU EOM recommendations. Chief Observer Mr Corrao finally stated that the EU stands ready to support Lesotho in their implementation.

The EU EOM final report can be accessed online at www.eomlesotho2022.eu and at www.database.eueom.eu

For press inquiries, please contact:

Kimmo Räntilä, kimmo.rantila@eomlesotho2022.eu; +266 5865 8015

Matiisetso Mosala, press.assistant@eomlesotho2022.eu; +266 6393 0782