[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1134, 260], "category": "Text", "text": "key priority areas: (1) Enhancing Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Private Sector-led Job Creation, (2) Strengthening Human Capital, (3) Building Enabling Infrastructure, and (4) Strengthening National Governance and Accountability Systems. In terms of policy alignment, the policies set out in the Plan are consistent with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063."}, {"bbox": [97, 271, 1134, 670], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed action will be implemented nation-wide in Lesotho. It aims to support equal participation in democratic processes, establish an inclusive, accessible and accurate voter registry, and strengthen the capacity of IEC in the administration of elections in view of the next general elections taking place in 2027. The proposed action emphasises the EU's role as a key supporter of good governance in general, and democratic and electoral processes in particular. This action is aligned with the Peace priority of the European Consensus for Development and contributes to the overall EU action in Lesotho, notably in the field of energy and water, in the spirit of the Global Gateway 360 degrees approach, by supporting good governance, democracy and rule of law and will contribute to SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Further, the action will contribute to the goals of the Gender Action Plan III, enhancing women, including those with disabilities, participation in decision-making processes. The action is also aligned with the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action, in their objective of enhancing civic and political youth participation. Lastly the action directly contributes to the realisation of key priority recommendations of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Lesotho 2022¹⁶. The action will also contribute to the achievement of objectives of the IEC Strategic Plan 2024 – 2028, Objective 1 – Organisational Development, Objective 2 – Voter Registration, Objective 4 – Election Operations, Objective 5 – Responsive Legal Framework, and Objective 6 – Inclusivity."}, {"bbox": [100, 697, 354, 727], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 744, 316, 770], "category": "Text", "text": "Short problem analysis:"}, {"bbox": [97, 782, 1134, 1047], "category": "Text", "text": "Elections in Lesotho are hampered by a number of legal, financial, and technical issues. The 2022 EU EOM report noted gaps in the electoral legal framework in relation to the budgetary independence of the IEC, political and campaign finance, right to vote for persons with cognitive impairment and also other disabilities, right to appeal against IEC decisions, and procedures for the IEC Tribunal. Although mandated by the legislation, the IEC has not issued any regulations or procedures leading to uncertainties and lack of clarity on election procedures. Critical election operations such as voter registration and voter education were hampered by significant delays in issuing of funding to the IEC. The literature review and consultation with stakeholders pointed to a number of deficiencies in the administration of the election such as: inaccuracies in the voter registry, interference in media, uneven playing field among parties and candidates, abuse of state resources, voter apathy and decrease of voter turnout, errors in announcement of results, and unclear procedures for election dispute resolution."}, {"bbox": [97, 1059, 1134, 1404], "category": "Text", "text": "**Component 1 - Participation:** Voter apathy, election fatigue, and distrust stemming from unmet political promises is a significant problem in Lesotho. There are limited opportunities for citizens to participate in democratic processes, and lack of awareness about the civic rights and responsibilities. Stakeholders identified gaps in education curricula, which do not incorporate civic education elements in primary and secondary education. Although the IEC is mandated to conduct voter education, its efforts are limited and activities are only carried out for a short period leading up to the elections, despite employing permanent voter education assistants in each district. Observers also noted lack of accessibility in polling stations, which hinders participation of persons with disabilities. Regarding women's participation and leadership, the EOM noted that women make up 26% of the national parliament and are under-represented in political parties' top decision making bodies.¹⁷ The law does not provide for limits to campaign funding and campaign spending and contributions from outside the country are not subject to public scrutiny.¹⁸ The IEC capacity to oversee and carry financial controls is limited. In the 2022 election, the AU EOM reported interlocutors' complaints about vote buying, however no formal complaint appears to be made to the IEC.¹⁹ Local observers noted that the campaigns were highly monetized beyond the limit.²⁰"}, {"bbox": [97, 1416, 1134, 1496], "category": "Text", "text": "**Component 2 - Voter registry:** Inaccuracies in the voter registry are considered by many as the primary threat to the integrity of elections in Lesotho. The key issues include: eligible voter's name not appearing in the roll, deceased, duplicates, missing voters, inaccurate allocation of polling stations and other data inconsistencies. An"}, {"bbox": [87, 1525, 1012, 1551], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁶ https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eom-lesotho-2022/eu-election-observation-mission-lesotho-2022-final-report_en"}, {"bbox": [87, 1549, 951, 1573], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁷ EU EOM (2022) Final Report on 2022 National Assembly Elections in the Kingdom of Lesotho. P.27"}, {"bbox": [87, 1573, 1017, 1597], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁸ EU Election Observation Mission to Lesotho Final Report National Assembly Elections – 7 October 2022 p.5"}, {"bbox": [87, 1597, 1028, 1623], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁹ African Union EOM (2022) Preliminary Statement on 2022 National Assembly of the Kingdom of Lesotho p.4"}, {"bbox": [87, 1622, 747, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²⁰ Lesotho Council of NGOs (2022) Interim Observation Mission Statement p.7"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 22"}]