Deputy President concludes Lesotho visit

Monday, March 2, 2015

Pretoria - Deputy President and SADC Facilitator Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded his visit to Lesotho where he observed the elections that were held on Saturday.

While in Maseru, Deputy President Ramaphosa was also apprised of the voting processes by leaders of various observer missions, his office said on Sunday.

These included leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union, Commonwealth and Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Former Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Former Botswana President Festus Mogae and former CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Pansy Tlakula, as well as members of the SADC Facilitation Mission based in Lesotho.

“During his visit, Deputy President Ramaphosa had the privilege and honour to pay a visit to four voting stations around Maseru, namely the Tikoe ACL Primary School, Ha-Ratjomose Moreneng, Boitelo Primary School and the Maseru Methodist  Primary School to witness democracy in action,” his spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said.

The facilitator also had an opportunity to pay a visit to the Lesotho IEC Centre.

Mamoepa said he also held discussions with senior officers of the Lesotho Defence Force and Lesotho Mounted Police Services, who had played a major role in securing and distributing voting material to various voting districts before and during the SADC-brought forward elections.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return to Lesotho on Wednesday.

Voting went smoothly despite fears of acts of violence in the kingdom. The counting of ballot papers is currently underway.

Lesotho held its general elections on Saturday in a bid to end a political impasse in the kingdom.

The elections were held about two years ahead of schedule under a political deal brokered by SADC.

Twenty-four parties are vying for support among the 1.2 million registered voters.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on Sunday congratulated the people of Lesotho on the peaceful conduct of the parliamentary elections.

In a statement, Ban commended the work of the IEC of the country in preparing for the elections, as well as SADC, which has led efforts to peacefully resolve political challenges in that country.

"The successful completion of this process will be an important step in Lesotho's return to political normalcy," said the statement. – SAnews.gov.za