Fade Out

Election Follow-Up

Here is the Public Eye story about the elections, it manages to be both informative and speculative ala Public Eye goodness.

The LCD tops the list with 61 constituency seats, followed by the National Independence Party (NIP) with 21 proportional seats and then the ABC with 17 constituencies. The Lesotho Workers Party (LWP) holds forth position with 10 proportional seats, followed on fifth position by Basotho National Party (BNP), which has dropped from position two. Appearing on position six is All Congress Parties (ACP) with two seats, one from first past the post and another from proportional representation.

They also speak to the fairness of the elections. Good job Lesotho. Second story on the free and fair elections, here.
Mbeki says "cool beans" to Mosisili, here.

In other news the LHWP (Lesotho Highlands Water Project) is slated to go ahead with a feasibility study for the next stage.

“The water demand from South Africa is what will determine whether or not there is a need for a second phase."

I think that the study will probably rule against Lesotho. Oh wait that was not the correct way to phrase that...

Now things get tricky

The elections are over, the LCD have won handily and now we protest. The BNP is not happy and neither is the ABC, though less so... Mosisili says cool.

LCD Wins 2007 Lesotho Elections

The LCD have won the election hands down. Though it should be noted that the ABC did well in the urban areas.
Stories here and here.

Lesotho Election Results

Results are coming in from the IEC.

ABC: Butha-Buthe, Hlotse, Maputsoe, Likhetlane, Peka, Teya-Teyaneng, Berea, Mabote, Motimposo, Stadium Area, Maseru, Qoaling, Lithoteng, Lithabaneng, Abia, Maama, Mokhotlong

LCD: Hololo, Motete, Qalo, Maliba-Matso, Mphosong, Thaba-Phatšoa, Mahobong, Pela-Tšoeu, Matlakeng, Mohobollo, Tsikoane, Kolonyama, Mosalemane, Nokong, Bela-Bela, Malimong, Khafung, Pulane, Thupa-Kubu, Thaba-Bosiu, Machache, Koro-Koro, Rothe, Matsieng, Maletsunyane, Thaba-Phechela, Kolo, Thaba-Tšoeu, Maliepetsane, Matelile, Thabana-Morena, Likhoele, Qalabane, Mafeteng, Taung, Qhalasi, Mohale's Hoek, Mekaling, Mpharane, Ketane, Hloahloeng, Tele, Moyeni, Sebapala, Mt. Moorosi, Qacha's Nek, Lebakeng, Tsoelike, Semena, Malingoaneng, Senqu, Bobatsi, Mechachane

ACP: Seqonoka

Overall voter turnout seems to be coming in at 46-47%.

There are 80 directly contested seats. Currently ABC:17, LCD:53 and ACP: 1. It looks like the LCD is pulling out in front. According to this article from the International Herald Tribune, LCD: 27 seats and ABC: 13.

Stay tuned or updates throughout the day. All in all it seems that the election went well. SABC story here.

Lesotho Elections: Voting

"The turnout has been good so far, very good," Khotatso Ralitsie, Director of Elections at the Independent Electoral Commission, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) around lunchtime after having visited several polling stations in rural areas.

Full story here. BBC story here. News24 story here.

Some possible logistics problems? SABC story here.

Rethabile Pholo, the public relations co-ordinator for the IEC, says the opening of a few of the 2 500 polling stations was delayed due to the late delivery of election materials.

Good luck Lesotho.

11:50 am Update: Polls are closed. Here.

Election Logistics

South Africa is on alert and willing to provide Lesotho with support. Here.

"This is... within the spirit of the general co-operation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to enhance democracy in our region," said Lekota after talks with Lesotho's deputy prime minister Lesao Lehohla in Maseru on Thursday.

In an article that is all over the place, some German lady gives a synopsis of the elections and the history of Lesotho, here.

These killings have barely registered in the election campaign, in which a central theme has been the efficient use of resources as half of all citizens try to eke out an existence on two dollars a day or less.

Oh really? Who would have thought?

And finally a Reuters overview, here.

Political analysts expect a mostly peaceful vote in the mountainous country entirely surrounded by South Africa, but say the race is still too close to call.

I have a feeling that the bat at the Maseru Sun is the most annoying place in Africa right now... One more day. Good luck Lesotho.

Lesotho General Elections Voter List

You can browse the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) voter roll for the upcoming election, here. Given the SADC voting requirements that have been imposed I must admit that this is fairly impressive. The site even goes so far as to make each registered voter selectable: Seme's wife, MaKay. It seems that you can search by registration number but not by name.

Lesotho Election Update

I know that it has been a while since I have posted anything that actually had to do with Lesotho and the upcoming elections.
An article by Thabo Motlamelle on AND speaks to the speed (or lack thereof) of the new voting procedures that will be in effect for the election.

The single most serious threat to the Lesotho general election 2007 and its outcomes shall be the pace at which voters take to make their mark. If the processes adopted for polling during the advance polling, which took place today 13 February, are anything to go by, the elections may take much longer than the one day anticipated for polling.

Each polling station will on Saturday be allotted +-500 voters. If each voter takes on average 6 minutes to vote, we are looking at 3 000 minutes of voting, which translates into 50 hours and four 12 hour days plus 2 hours.

His figures sound a bit forced. Are none of the stations going to have more than one person at a time? Can't these procedures take place concurrently? If the second part were true the number would be cut at least by a factor of three. Which makes it more like 16 hours in a worse case scenario.
I find it very hard to be straight on this election. It would appear that change is coming to Lesotho and, to me at least, the only question is how well the change will happen.

Check out some photos of the latest ABC rally here. If the heated debate at the Lesotho forum at Topix.net can be believed, then perhaps things look good for the ABC.

BBC if it was not because of transport shortage on the side of ABC, the attendance of the rally that you saw at SETHALENG could have been even more what you witnessed. The fact that LCD has access to the taxpayers money they hired a lot of transport to collect all their members and supporters around the country. This means that what bbc saw at the LCD rally yesterday represented something like 90% of the total LCD support. However what bbc saw at the ABC rally represented only 30% of the ABC members, because of transport shortage e.g in Mohale's Hoek.

Update: Zimbabwe

A quick update about the previous article on Zimbabwe from a few days ago.
The New York Times has an article today about inflation in Zimbabwe and is a sign of articles to come (or I certainly hope that it is.)

Citing a leaked central bank document, Reuters reported Tuesday that prices of basic items like meat, cooking oil and clothes had risen 223 percent in the past week alone.

The article is a very enlightening read, if for no other reason than putting solid numbers behind everything.

A Good Gambian Laying of Hands is in Order?

Yahya Jammeh, the president of The Gambia, the smallest country in Africa, is making big claims. He alleges he has mystical powers that enable him to cure asthma on Fridays and Saturdays, and HIV/Aids on Mondays and Thursdays.

Full story here. No comment on what he is able to cure on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Sundays...

In his speech, he said: "The cure is a day's treatment. Within three days, the person will be [HIV] negative."

Well sometimes you wonder why Africa has image problems and then sometimes you remember why it is that the entire continent often gets treated as such.

Yammeh's statements are clarified in his Wikipedia entry:

The full text of his speech seems to suggest that the 'cure' may in fact be addressing intestinal parasites ("With regards to HIV/Aids, they should be kept at a place that has adequate toilets facilities because they can be going to toilet every five minutes.")