Adapting to electoral system change: voters in Lesotho, 2002
SOURCE: Journal of African Elections
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2003
TITLE AUTHOR(S): R.Fox, R.Southall
KEYWORDS: ELECTIONS, ELECTORAL SYSTEMS, LESOTHO
DEPARTMENT: Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 2534
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/8082
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/8082
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2003
TITLE AUTHOR(S): R.Fox, R.Southall
KEYWORDS: ELECTIONS, ELECTORAL SYSTEMS, LESOTHO
DEPARTMENT: Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 2534
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/8082
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/8082
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
On 25 May 2002 voters in the small southern African kingdom of Lesotho went to the polls ion the third general election since the country returned to democracy after a long period of civilian dictatorship (1970-1986) and military rule (198601993). Although voting in all Lesotho's general elections has usually gone smooth, en every case prior to 2002 the results have been challenged, with varying degrees of severity, by the losing parties. The purpose of this short paper is to address the question about voters' understanding and to demonstrate their ability to adapt to electoral system change. This, we suggest, throws doubt on any argument that electoral reforms in Africa should be avoided on grounds of the alleged lack of sophistication of poor and largely uneducated voters. Ordinary people appear to have no huge difficulty understanding the broad principles of electoral democracy, even if the detailed mechanics of "mixed" voting systems may be beyond them.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Popular attitudes towards the South African electoral system: report to the electoral task team.
- An unlikely success: South Africa and Lesotho's election of 2002
- Politics, voting and elections
- Lesotho: electoral landslide Heralds return to shaky democracy
- Voting in action: focus group and workshop findings
- Popular attitudes toward the South African electoral system
- Electoral choice and party campaigns
- Elections 2004: the party lists and issues of identity
- "Mohokare" - the river between: political expression of Free State - Lesotho tensions around election time-2004
- The general election in Lesotho, May 2002: adapting to MMP
- Post-election South Africa: the continuing case for electoral reform
- Evaluation of the 2004 elections: report on the exit poll conducted for the Independent Electoral Commission during the election of 14th April 2004
- Identity documents and registration to vote
- Survey on South African voter participation in elections
- Electoral administration: achievements and continuing challenges
- Race, class and voting patterns in South Africa's electoral system: ten years of democracy
- Lesotho: peaceful election provides basis for consolidating democracy
- The smallest parties: the ACDP, UCDP, FF+, MF, and UDM
- Shared aspirations: the imperative of accountability in South Africa's electoral system
- South Africans are all set and ready to vote