…as IEC embarks on a learning journey
Mohloai Mpesi
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) has welcomed the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s move towards introducing harmonised elections in Lesotho.
This according to a SEAC member from Eswatini, Judge Ticheme Dlamini, who is leading a delegation conducting a post-election review mission for Lesotho’s October 2022 national elections.
Justice Dlamini is accompanied by officials from the SADC Secretariat, including Senior Officer for Politics and Diplomacy, Terry Rose, and Elections and Good Governance Officer, Magabolle Mafiri.
The delegation, which arrived this week, began its mission on Monday and will conclude on 2 April 2026.
In an exclusive interview with the Lesotho Times yesterday, Justice Dlamini highlighted the importance of holding National Assembly and Local Government elections simultaneously, noting that the approach helps reduce election costs.
His remarks align with efforts by the IEC to harmonise elections in Lesotho.
As part of these efforts, a section of the commission recently undertook a two-day benchmarking visit to Harare, Zimbabwe, to study the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) harmonised electoral system, which features a three-tier voting process.
Zimbabwe adopted harmonised elections through Amendment No. 18 of the Lancaster House Constitution in 2007. The system allows the country to hold presidential, parliamentary and local authority elections at the same time.
Justice Dlamini said many countries were adopting this model to cut election costs. Lesotho, for instance, spent M268 million on the October 2022 general election, highlighting the financial burden of separate polls.
“Harmonising elections is very important because it reduces costs. Holding Local Government and National elections at different times requires significant resources, but combining them minimises expenditure,” Justice Dlamini said.
Turning to the purpose of the visit, Justice Dlamini said the mission is mandated under the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, which require post-election review missions in member states.
He explained that the mission seeks to assess the implementation of recommendations made by the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), address post-election challenges, and encourage compliance among member states.
The visit comes shortly after the European Union Follow-up Mission (EFM) reported that Lesotho had not fully implemented key recommendations from the EU Electoral Observation Mission following the 2022 elections.
“The purpose of this visit is to conduct a post-election review mission as provided for under the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
“There must be an assessment after elections to evaluate how recommendations from previous missions have been implemented. That is what we are here to do,” Justice Dlamini said.
He added that the delegation would also identify challenges hindering implementation and explore how SADC could support member states in addressing them.
“We are also here to understand the challenges faced by member states in implementing these recommendations and to determine what assistance SADC can provide.”
Justice Dlamini emphasised that such reviews were critical in strengthening democratic systems across the region.
“These recommendations are vital because SADC aims to consolidate democracy within its member states. There are standards that must be upheld, as outlined in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections,” he said.
He said recommendations were shared with member states after every election, and where necessary, SADC provided support to facilitate their implementation.
