A gendered assessment of the Lesotho 2002 election results (continued)
Proportional representation list elections
A total of 770 political party nominees were nominated for the proportional representation lists. The following table indicates the percentage of women nominees on the party lists:
Party listings
| Political party | No women on party list | % Women on party list |
|---|---|---|
| Sefate Democratic Union (SDU) | 91 of 120 | 76% |
| United Party (UP) | 56 of 81 | 69% |
| Kopanang Basotho Party (KBP) | 19 of 33 | 58% |
| New Lesotho Freedom Party (NLFP) | 26 of 46 | 57% |
| Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) | 32 of 59 | 54% |
| Christian Democratic Party (CDP) | 21 of 44 | 48% |
| Lesotho Workers' Party (LWP) | 20 of 46 | 43% |
| Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) | 32 of 90 | 36% |
| Basutoland Congress Party (BCP) | 14 of 41 | 34% |
| Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) | 28 of 86 | 33% |
| National Progressive Party (NPP) | 14 of 60 | 23% |
| Social Democratic Party (SDP) | 9 of 40 | 23% |
| National Independent Party (NIP) | 8 of 45 | 18% |
| Basutoland African Congress (BAC) | 7 of 42 | 17% |
| Lesotho Peoples' Congress (LPC) | 6 of 41 | 15% |
| Basotho National Party (BNP) | 0 of 23 | 0% |
| Total | 383 of 897 | 38% |
Out of the 16 political party nomination lists published on the official Lesotho Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) website, 38% of the candidates are women. The position of women candidates on the party lists is generally an indication of the party's commitment to women's representation. In the top 10 positions on the party list, the New Lesotho Freedom Party (NLFP) and the United Party both posted six women candidates and the Sefate Democratic Union (SDU) posted seven women candidates. The remaining parties, however, had few women candidates in their top 10 positions of their party lists. The Basotho National Party (BNP), the National Independent Party (NIP) and the Social Democratic Party did not have any women candidates in their top 10 positions. Lesotho does not have a quota system regarding a mandatory percentage of women candidates. Thus, the promotion and advancement of women remains the responsibility of the individual political parties.
Election Results
The Women's civil society group, the Lesotho Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) expressed their concern about the low numbers of women on both the constituency and proportional representation lists. Advocate Lindiwe Sephomolo, from FIDA (Federation of Women Lawyers) noted that one of FIDA's primary objectives is to sensitise women voters as to the importance of voting women into the National Assembly. The results, however, indicate that there is still some work to be done by political parties and civil society institutions to promote the entry of women into the political arena, as well as encourage the electorate to vote for women, within the time frames stipulated in the Declaration on Gender and Development (1997). Within the constraints of the patriarchal and customary system, the next three years will be critical for the gender activists in civil society institutions and political parties to conscientise voters and women about the importance of their participation in the political process. It is an irony that in a society where men have historically migrated to South Africa to work, leaving women, children and the elderly to conduct community affairs, that women do not engage in public life.
Lesotho's next National Assembly elections are scheduled for 2007. The political parties in Lesotho have a daunting challenge to achieve the SADC goal of 30 percent representation of women in their National Assembly. There are various mechanisms that could be considered by political parties to increase the number of women as candidates or on the proportional representation lists. These include quotas, regulatory provisions linked to the registration of the party and political party funding. These strategies will, however, have to be decided on by the electorate, gender activists, political parties and civil society organisations in Lesotho.