JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho (IEC) is ready to hold elections in the country, said IEC spokesperson Tuoe Hantsi on Tuesday.
In an interview with Xinhua, Hantsi said Lesotho will have elections on June 3. 120 seats of the National Assembly and the lower house of Parliament are expected in the elections.
Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosilili was ousted in a vote of no confidence in March this year, forcing elections to be held three years ahead of schedule. In a country of about 2 million people, over 1.2 million registered to vote.
Hantsi told Xinhua that all logistical and human resources are in place and are ready to hold the elections.
Lesotho has been rocked by security problems with the former Defence Force commander Maaparankoe Mahao being shot dead on June 25, 2015.
The regional bloc, Southern African Development Community (SADC) then mandated Cyril Ramaphosa to mediate in the Lesotho problems.
Hantsi said, "The ballot boxes will leave warehouse guarded by the police, stakeholders and politicians to their destination. We expect elections to go on well."
The SADC Observer Mission (SOEM) is also in Lesotho to monitor the elections. There are over 41 observers from different nine SADC states. The SOEM is led by Augustine Mahiga, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania.
"We are reliably informed by the SADC Electoral Advisory Council Mission that the Independent Electoral Commission and the relevant stakeholders in the Kingdom of Lesotho have taken necessary measures to ensure that the Principles for Conducting Democratic Elections as outlined in the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, are observed. We therefore conclude that the Kingdom of Lesotho is generally prepared to hold elections on June 3, 2017," said Mahiga.
SOEM said on the ground there are indications of a commitment to broader reforms in the political, security and public sectors in order to stabilize the country.
Lesotho political parties have agreed to sign a pre-election peace pledge to conduct themselves in an acceptable way. The Christian Council of Lesotho has committed to accept the results when declared free and fair by duly authorized independent observers.
The SOEM will be in Lesotho until June 12 but may stay longer if the situation demands. Enditem
