Chapter three: Democracy and good political governance
Table 3.2: Election results and distribution of National Assembly seats in 1993, 1998 and 2002
Year
Parties
1993
1998
2002
Percentage
of votes
Seats won
Total seats
BCP
74.7
65
65
LCD
60.7
79
80
BNP
24.5
1
LCD
54.8
77
BNP
22.4
21
Basutoland African Congress
2.9
3
BCP
2.7
3
Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC)
5.8
5
National Independence Party (NIP)
5.5
5
Lesotho Workers’ Party
1.4
1
MFP
1.2
1
Popular Front for Democracy
1.1
1
National Progressive Party
0.7
1
118
Source: APRM Background Paper on Lesotho.
187.
The CRM heard some criticism of the MMP electoral system, mostly regarding the use of a dual
ballot, one for the 80 constituency seats where the FPTP election system applies, and another
for the 40 national or PR (compensatory) seats. The dual ballot was seen as the loophole that
allowed electoral manipulation through the formation of informal alliances that undermine the
MMP electoral system.
188.
Although there was such criticism of the MMP electoral system, the general impression was that
stakeholders do not blame the IEC for bad electoral administration. Additionally, there were not
any suggestions for an alternative electoral system to replace the MMP system. Overall, there
appeared to be general agreement on the positive attributes of the system, which nevertheless
requires fine-tuning as regards its operations. The cause of the post-2007 election squabbles
was attributed to dominant-party opportunism and bad faith. Stakeholders thus called for the
introduction of a single ballot in order to eliminate the loophole.
Supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law
189.
The supremacy of the constitution was not doubted by any of the stakeholders consulted. There was
widespread concurrence that the coexistence of the monarchy and the Western-style state system
should be preserved. Indeed, the consolidation of the constitutional monarchy is a manifestation
63