From 6 to 10 February 2017, members of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) conducted a Post-election Review in the Kingdom of Lesotho on the country's 2015 National Assembly Elections. The SEAC, which serves as SADC's advisory body on elections, democracy and good governance, is mandated under the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, to conduct post-election reviews in Member States. Among others, the objective of these reviews is to promote Member States' adherence to common electoral standards and democratic practices, to assess the post-electoral climate, and follow-up on recommendations emanating from electoral observation reports such as the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) report.
Central to the Post-election Review process, the SEAC members facilitated a Stakeholders' Dialogue Forum on the SEOM Recommendations for the 2015 elections, which focused on the review of the country's Constitution, legislative and institutional reforms, in particular Security Sector Reform (SSR) assisted by SADC; review of the laws relating to parliamentary floor crossing; review of the policy and legal framework for coalition governments; and the professionalization of the media.
Participants in the Stakeholders Dialogue Forum as well as in bilateral engagements with the SEAC members included among others the Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho (IEC); Attorney General; the Christian Council of Lesotho; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations; Ministry of Justice; Human Rights and Correctional Services; Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS); Lesotho Defence Force (LDF); leaders and representatives of political parties; representatives of civil society organisations; and representatives of media outlets – print, television and radio.
