Report of the African Union Election Observation Mission on the 7 October 2022, National Assembly Elections in the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Abstract

On 7 October 2022, Lesotho held its 10th National Assembly Elections since 1975, electing Members of Parliament for five years. The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) deployed 40 Short-Term Observers (STOs) from 29 member states between 2-14 October 2022, following a Pre-Election Special Political Mission in June to assess preparedness. Unlike the 2017 elections triggered by a collapsed coalition, the 2022 elections marked the constitutional conclusion of Parliament's term, a positive step for stability. The elections were largely peaceful, with professional conduct from security agencies and a legal framework mostly aligned with international norms, though gaps persisted in regulating political parties, coalition negotiations, and floor-crossing. An 87% increase in political parties since 2017 led to 52 parties and 26 independents contesting, but limited voter register auditing and allegations of dead voters raised concerns about transparency. Voter turnout declined to 37.44% from 46.37% in 2017, reflecting political fatigue and mistrust in the process. The AUEOM concluded that the elections were peaceful and democratic, meeting key standards, and recommended reforms, including strengthening institutional independence, enhancing inclusion of marginalized groups, enacting legislation on party formation and coalitions, and improving voter register accuracy to bolster confidence in future elections.