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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretariat Releases Conclusions of Lesotho Voter Registration Observers

30 October 2001

The Commonwealth Secretariat today released the Conclusions of the report prepared by the experts sent by the Commonwealth Secretary-General to sample the voter registration process in Lesotho in August and September 2001.

The Conclusions of the two-person Observer Group are attached. The Terms of Reference for the Group were as follows:

"The Commonwealth Observers will observe relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the voter registration process, in accordance with the laws of Lesotho. They are to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of this part of the electoral process and to determine in their own judgement whether it provides a sound basis for continued preparations for the General Elections.

The Observers will act impartially and independently. They have no executive role; their function is not to supervise but to observe the process and to form a judgement accordingly.

They are to submit their report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will in turn forward it to any Commonwealth Observer Group which will be present in Lesotho for the General Elections in 2002. The Secretary-General may also decide to draw any major matters of concern to the attention of the Government of Lesotho, the Interim Political Authority, the Independent Electoral Commission, the leadership of the political parties taking part in the elections and, if necessary, Commonwealth governments".


Note to Editors:
The two-person Group, whose appointment followed an invitation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Interim Political Authority, consisted of:
· Mr Joram Rukambe, Director of Elections, Namibia and
· Mr Bill Gray, former Electoral Commissioner, Australia
The period for registration was from 13 August to 30 September. The Group was present in Lesotho from 27 August to 5 September 2001, during which time it consulted and travelled widely in order to obtain an informed view of the process: it visited 27 registration centres in 16 constituencies and 6 districts.

The Group reported to the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 10 September 2001. Its report was subsequently sent to the Government of Lesotho, the Interim Political Authority and the Independent Electoral Commission.




THE VOTER REGISTRATION PROCESS IN LESOTHO
Report of The Commonwealth Observers
September 2001


CONCLUSIONS

Based on its discussions with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the Interim Political Authority (IPA) and other stakeholders, and its observation of the registration process being implemented both at the field level and at the headquarters of the IEC, the Observer Group has come to the following conclusions:

· The IEC has developed a credible, effective and transparent system for the registration of voters, consistent with the laws of Lesotho.

· The computerisation of the database and the digitisation of the photographs, fingerprints and signatures of registrants provide for the effective comparison of data in the event of objections or challenges based on alleged duplication.

· With the posting of provisional lists and the final voters' lists all containing the name and photograph of electors, along with the issuing of a photographic identification card prior to polling, the opportunity for duplication or other fraudulent activity will be effectively minimised.

· The security applied to the processing and handling of the registration forms by the IEC at its headquarters in Maseru is of a high order and reflects the seriousness of the IEC in ensuring the integrity of the process.

· The Commissioners have made every effort to win the confidence and trust of the stakeholders and the electorate at large. The evidence would suggest that they have had considerable success in this regard. The Commission enjoys broad support for its competence and efforts to ensure a transparent and equitable process of registration. Commissioners have also adopted an inclusive approach to ensure that the IPA, political parties, the media and other players are informed about the process and are supportive of it.

· Registration officials, monitored by the Party Agents and official witnesses, have displayed a high level of diligence and competence in implementing the process of registration.

· Although the process seemed to have worked on this occasion, the Observers are of the view that there is a need for the IEC to revisit the arrangement whereby the Party Agents, who must monitor IEC work, are paid by the IEC. In our opinion, this might, in the long run, compromise the independence of the party agents as watchdogs over the registration process.

· The training of the registration officials would appear to have been effective, given the performance of the officials observed at the registration centres.



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· The locations of the registration centres are such as to provide equitable access for most voters. Information about the location of the registration centres has been widely publicised
and the evidence would suggest that the population at large is aware of the registration process being underway and where they should register

· The supply of essential materials to the registration centres requires immediate review in the light of difficulties so far experienced. The stocks of film for the Polaroid cameras are of particular concern and must be addressed as a matter of priority. The supply of batteries for the cameras and ultra-violet lamps need also to be maintained.

· There is a general concern that the number of voters seeking to register are far fewer than had been expected. This in turn has led to speculation about the reason for the low turnout and the possibility of extending the period for registration.

· There is a need for the political parties to show significantly more leadership in support of the registration campaign and to put their respective houses in order if they are to persuade voters to re-engage in the electoral process.

· If the number of registrations remains low, the IEC will need to consider the timing of a new initiative to register more voters. To the extent that a new campaign is instituted some weeks or months after the conclusion of the current registration period, consideration would have to be given to the means of ensuring the exclusion of duplicate registrations that may occur, inadvertently or otherwise. Whatever process is adopted, it would need to be transparent and made public, in order to retain the confidence of stakeholders in the registration systems. In this regard the Observers note that the IEC will inevitably be required to re-open registration for those Basotho who will turn 18 years between now and election day. If the number of registrations remain low, it may be judicious if the Commission were to schedule a week later in the year for further registrations to take place, after an election date has been announced. This arrangement would allow the IEC to review the current registration and re-strategise on intensifying voter education in conjunction with Government, other political parties, civil society and the media, before embarking on further registration. As the current indelible ink may have become undetectable by that time, the IEC could rely on copies of the photographic provisional lists to determine voter eligibility for participation in the re-run of registration. Further interrogation of the national voters' register would also be required in order to eliminate duplicate registration. This process would require the endorsement of the political parties and, if need be, the presence of their agents to monitor the process.

· That until an election date is determined and announced, the electorate is unlikely to register with any greater enthusiasm or at a greater rate than is presently being experienced, even if the current campaign is extended by the IEC.

· That the IEC has yet to establish a capacity within its structure to address conflict management, despite the pressing need evident at the national and local levels. The IEC advised that it was reliant on international donors to fund a project that had been planned to increase its conflict management capacity and it was hopeful that funding would be forthcoming. The Observers strongly endorse that sentiment and suggest that the Commonwealth broker support from international donors to build the capacity of the IEC in the field of conflict management as a matter of priority.
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