‘Mantṧali Phakoana
The Lesotho Council of Non-governmental Organisations (LCN) has not deployed voter educators ahead of the local government elections scheduled for September this year, raising fears of voter apathy.
The LCN says it has not been able to educate eligible voters on the need to cast their votes like it has done in previous years due to lack of funds.
The LCN is an umbrella body for civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country and is seen as an effective channel to spearhead vigorous voter education campaigns.
In its resolutions after its recent 33th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the LCN had resolved that civic and voter education should be an ongoing practice and not only be done when preparing for the elections.
It said this would contribute to enlightening and providing voters with knowledge on roles played both by central government and local councillors.
Voter education would also help instill desire especially amongst youth to participate in the elections.
The LCN’s resolutions came after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) last month announced this year’s local government elections.
The meeting further noted that it is the LCN’s obligation to closely monitor the IEC to ensure transparent and credibility election outcomes.
It also called for inclusive dialogue on IEC matters.
LCN Women and Children Coordinator, Mantṧalla Ramakhula stressed the need for civic and voter education ahead of the polls.
Ramakhula, however, told theReporter that the LCN might not be able to undertake this task due to lack of funds.
She also noted that it was worrisome that the ICE had not published a tender or proposal inviting interested civic bodies to undertake the crucial vote education exercise.
“The remaining time before elections is limited. Voter educations needs time and should be a continuous process,” Ramakhula said.
She also noted that even if the IEC disburses funds for this, it would be difficult to fully cover some remote parts of the country.
She added that the issue of time is always important in educating voters, but mostly in instances where the country is holding local elections. Such polls are confusing to some voters due to their nature.
Ramakhula further indicated that her organisation would only decide the way forward when a tender to conduct voter education is out.
“Although the government was running out of time to do this before the elections, the LCN would not have a problem to embark on voter education campaigns as it is one of its mandates.
“It is within our scope to teach the public about the importance of elections. We also have to sensitise eligible voters about the changes that have been made in Eds since the last elections,” Ramakhula added.
The IEC recently announced that the Electoral Divisions (ED) were not restructured like constituencies, therefore eligible voters will cast their votes at EDs that were used for the 2017 local government elections.
Development for Peace Education (DPE) peace researcher, Lemohang Molibeli said they have not started preparations for the elections because the IEC has not called for applications for funding.
Molibeli said they would only start preparation after the issuance of a government gazette announcing the date for elections and giving them direction, provided they have funds.
The gazette gives 90 days to prepare for the elections.
However, Molibeli believes the elections are likely not to be held in September.
“I think this is just a talk, we cannot confirm that the elections will be in September because currently IEC is the only entity that has started preparations.
“The question is, if we go for elections this September what outcome should we expect?” he quipped.
Contacted for comment, IEC Public Relations Manager, Tuoe Hantṧi shot down the civic organisatons’ fears.
He said that if the NGOs have any concerns about the elections, they should consult the Commission, not any other entity.
“If LCN is concerned about the pre-election time or funds, they know who to consult,” he retorted.
According to Hantṧi, IEC had requested M316 million from government for the upcoming elections, but were allocated M300 million. However, he could not comment whether this was enough to hold credible elections nor would the remaining time be enough to conduct civic and voter education.
“The IEC is ready for the elections and we’ve already started preparations.”
Hantṧi also pointed out that the Commission had hired about 400 voter educators working in the constituencies.
The local government elections which have already been postposed three times were announced by the IEC on 29 May this year.
Political analyst, Khabele Matlosa says the pre-election time is not enough for both IEC and the NGOs to prepare for the upcoming elections. This could lead to low voter turn-out.
Matlosa told theReporter in a recent interview that voter education is the bedrock of a healthy democracy.
He noted that well-informed voters were more civically and politically engaged and more likely to vote and hold their representatives accountable through elections.
Matlosa also indicated that in a democratic country, the role for civic and voter education should not only be untaken by IEC but also other entities like civil society organisations, media, international partners, in order to reach the grassroot communities countrywide.
Matlosa said delay or failure to embark on voter education campaigns could lead to people casting their votes uniformed or not even seeing the importance of doing so.
“Voters need to be reminded and persuaded; they need that spirit to be instilled in them,” he said.
These stakeholders he said have the responsibility to ensure that correct information is communicated to eligible voters and in a manner that reflects objective and non-partisan engagement.
This prevents any attempt to use electoral education activities to promote certain political parties, Matlosa indicated.
He warned that delay or failure by the LCN to launch the voter education campaigns is likely to give a negative outcome on the elections, since some voters might not be properly informed.
“At least six months is needed to prepare for elections,” he pointed out.
Voter and civic education were necessary to ensure that all constituents – both men and women – understand their rights, their political system, the contests they are being asked to decide, and how and where to vote.
“For an election to be successful and democratic, voters must understand their rights and responsibilities. They must be sufficiently knowledgeable and well-informed to cast ballots that are legally valid and to participate meaningfully in the voting process.
“Voter and civic education are even more critical in post-conflict countries, where political situations may be volatile and where elections may have an unprecedented impact on the countries’ future,” Matlosa said.
He cited the 2022 general elections when voter turnout was almost 10 percent points below the 47 percent who voted in the last elections in 2017.
“The percentage keeps going down.
“Remember general elections are considered the major ones. As for local government, voters have already lost interest,” Matlosa said.
The IEC and the LCN had agreed to join forces to fight voter apathy that has seen the number of voters at the polls dwindle in recent elections.
Under the terms, LCN was assigned to spearhead the voter education campaign in the run-up to local government elections.
The IEC has a huge task of notifying voters about changes in their constituencies and making them understand that the electoral divisions have not been restructured.
Under the agreement, LCN was also mandated to go out and explain issues that lead to the elections being postponed twice and the importance of casting votes.
For the previous elections, the IEC and the LCN signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the two institutions agreed to work together in promoting electoral education. The main aim of the exercise was to reduce voter apathy that has characterised both general and by-elections in the country.
