The Commonwealth will deploy a team to observe the general elections in Lesotho, scheduled for 7 October 2022. The team will be led by the former president of Seychelles, His Excellency Danny Faure.
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, made up the panel following an invitation from the Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho. Members include a politician, media, gender and electoral administration experts from across the Commonwealth.
The Secretary General said:
“I am grateful to His Excellency Danny Faure and the entire group for accepting my invitation. Our election observation work is extremely important, helping to preserve and strengthen the process, culture and institutions of democracy across the Commonwealth.
“As the former President of Seychelles, His Excellency Danny Faure has led his country to a series of successes and put his country at the forefront of innovation, technology and economic development. He is well placed to assess the issues at hand and lead the team in Lesotho.
“The team is independent and impartial. He will assess the conduct of the elections and provide any necessary recommendations to further strengthen the electoral process in Lesotho.”
election observation
The group will observe and examine factors affecting the credibility of the election process as a whole and will consider the pre-election environment and election preparations. The members will be stationed in different parts of the country where they will observe the voting procedures, counting and results.
They will then write a report and recommendations which will be submitted for consideration by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will share it with the Government of Lesotho and relevant stakeholders.
The group is expected to arrive in Lesotho’s capital, Maseru, on September 30 and will be supported by Commonwealth Secretariat staff led by Abiola Sunmonu, Adviser and Head of the Africa Section in the Governance and Peace Directorate.
Members of the group
The members of the Commonwealth Observer Group are:
- Chairperson: HE Danny Faure, former president of Seychelles
- Ms. Blessings Tunoh Assom, editor, Channels TV, Niger
- Honored. Jacqueline Mohongayire, former senator, RWANDA
- Ms. Terry Dale Ince, CEDAW, gender and human rights lawyer, Trinidad and Tobago
- Mr. Paul O’Grady, Executive Director, Article 21 and former Deputy Head of OSCE Electoral Missions, United Kingdom
- Mr. Boniface Cheembe, Executive Director, Southern African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), Zambia
Media contact
- Temitope Kalejaiye Assistant Research and Communications Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat
- +44 7423 353835 | E-mail
