The IEC and the 2014 Elections: A Mark of Institutional Maturity?
South Africa’s election management body, The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), faced an unprecedented situation in the run-up to the country’s fifth elections. Its chairperson, Pansy Tlakula, was found to have behaved in a manner unbefitting an electoral commissioner. Her misconduct raised concerns about whether or not the IEC would manage the elections impartially. […]
Transforming Women’s Role in Local Government in Lesotho through a Women’s Quota
Lesotho introduced a quota for women in local government in 2005 amid different interpretations of the concept and the general preparations for elections. The phase II era of decentralisation, after the quota for women was introduced, was marked by the October 2011 local government elections. In both instances a deliberate effort was made to reserve […]
Party Alliances and Political Coalitions During the 2007 General Election in Lesotho
In 2007, for the first time in Lesotho’s political history, some political parties formed formal electoral pacts, variously dubbed alliances or coalitions, to fight the general election of 17 February. The ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy and the newly formed All Basotho Convention entered into alliances with their smaller counterparts, the National Independent Party and […]
The Challenge of Political Legitimacy Posed by the 2007 General Election
The placing of electoral democracy at the top of the SADC agenda is steadily beginning to pay dividends – Swaziland is the only country in Southern Africa which does not hold democratic elections. Since democratisation in 1993 Lesotho has held four elections. This paper considers the 2007 election, discussing the electoral process and the subsequent […]
The 2007 General Election in Lesotho: Abuse of the MMP System?
Lesotho took an innovative step forward in 2001, when the introduction of the MMP electoral system became a central part of the political and consensual solutions to the upheaval following the 1998 elections. MMP combines proportional representation on a national scale with single-member constituencies and the solution was seen by many as a promising step […]
The Role and Status of the Independent Electoral Commission
Free, fair and transparent elections are fundamental to democracy. Citizens need to be assured that the politicians truly reflect the will of the people. The bodies charged with overseeing the election process must be impartial and independent, transparent and accountable. Botswana’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has overseen two elections since its formation in 1997 and […]
Elections and Parliamentary Oversight in Botswana
Botswana’s Legislature plays a significant role in overseeing the electoral system and ensuring that it adheres to the minimum basic tenets of democracy such as free and fair, competitive elections and that the vast majority of eligible voters participate in the whole electoral processes. The main piece of legislation the National Assembly has enacted is […]
Election Observation and Monitoring in Botswana
In an attempt to address the concerns of opposition parties, election observation and monitoring have in recent years become part of the electoral process in Botswana. This paper examines their role in Botswana’s electoral process. It argues that election observation and monitoring have promoted transparency and accountability as well as public confidence in the credibility […]
Democracy and Botswana’s Electoral System
This paper underscores the fact that Botswana has the longest-serving democracy in sub-Saharan Africa and yet remains deficient in the application of democratic norms. The electoral system that Botswana uses, the simple majority first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, is one of the elements held accountable for the limited extent of democracy in the country. It is widely […]