UNDP supports continuing inter-party political mediation in Lesotho

From as far back as 1995, UNDP Lesotho, working in tandem with some of the country’s development partners, has worked tirelessly to support Lesotho’s attainment of long lasting political stability.

The Country Office’s latest effort in this area comprises support to an inter-party mediation over the disputed allocation of Lesotho Parliament’s proportional representation (PR) seats (40 out of a total of 120) during the general election of February 2007. The mediation initiative is being held under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and is headed by one of the region’s most respected statesmen, Botswana’s former President Sir Ketumile Masire.

The Country Office’s support is inspired by our firm belief that regional peace and conflict mediation efforts offer the best hopes for sustainable peace and political stability in trouble spots across the globe and should, as such, be encouraged and supported. In the instant case, it is significant that the Government and the opposition parties have sat around the negotiation table to discuss their differences peacefully without resorting to violent conflict. All sides have come to increasingly appreciate the precedence of dialogue over conflict; that there will always be disagreements, but opposing sides do not have to resort to force, as they did in 1998, to resolve them.

Until the end of 2008, President Masire’s mediation mission had not led to review of the PR seat allocation and, given deep seated perceptions among many Basotho that only submission of the dispute to arbitration by a panel of international experts is likely to bring about a conclusive settlement, UNDP Lesotho remains poised to continue its support to the negotiation process. We believe that failure to resolve the dispute could begin to spawn unwelcome cynicism over, if not outright opposition to, similar efforts in the future. Most importantly, there is real danger that non resolution of the dispute could poison the atmosphere ahead of the next election and perpetrate election related conflicts in Lesotho.
 

Sir Ketimule Masire and delegation

Maseru, Lesotho, September 26, 2008