Slim chance of repeat of 1998 unrest, NGOs

While Lesotho's main opposition parties have objected to the outcome of the 25 May election, they appear to lack significant support from voters in doing so, the Lesotho NGO Council (LNC) told IRIN.

Fears of a repeat of the violence that followed the 1998 poll, which destroyed parts of the capital Maseru and sent the economy into a recession, have been allayed by the response of ordinary people to the election, the LNC said.

Widespread riots and army mutiny followed the 1998 poll, law and order was restored by a Southern African Development Community (SADC) military intervention that was requested by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. Lesotho has yet to recover from the damage done to its economy.

Concern that the kingdom was heading down the same destructive path was heightened following the rejection of the poll by the opposition Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Lesotho Peoples Congress (LPC). The election was roundly praised by international observer missions, calling it a success for Lesotho and Southern Africa.

According to final results, announced on Wednesday, the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) won an outright majority, taking 77 of 78 constituency seats - the LPC won the other.

The BNP picked up 21 out of 40 proportional representation seats in parliament.

Tsebo Matsasa electoral observation coordinator for the LNC said: "The opposition parties say the pattern of the election outcome resembles the 1998 outcome [in which the LCD won 79 of 80 seats]. They argue it cannot be that way.

"What we say is that we were quite satisfied with the electoral process and preparations for the elections. We've noted there were some logistical problems on the side of the IEC, like delayed delivery of electoral material, that could not affect the outcome of the election."

As to whether the BNP and LPC rejection of the results could lead to a popular rejection of the poll, Matsasa said: "It will not be a situation like 1998. We've been on air telling people what we thought [of the election] on national radio and judging by a phone in show, on Wednesday night, a lot of people see things the way we do, we do not predict anything like 1998."

He said the LNC had appealed to the political parties to respect the choice of the Basotho people.

"We've also appealed to the IEC and government that any complaints should be resolved through dialogue. People do not want to experience what they did in 1998," Matsasa said.

Rethabile Pholo, IEC spokesman, told IRIN that parties had 30 days following the poll to challenge the election results in court.

Pholo said: "There will be a meeting of political parties on Friday, with two bishops of the Anglican Church and Roman Catholic Church [where objections would be raised]. But we have not received any documentation to the effect that there will be legal challenge [to the result], and until we do we regard the matter as non-existent. The law allows them to go to court inside 30 days of the election and if they don't do that then its too bad for them."