In response to the invitation by the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the European Union has decided to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the National Assembly elections scheduled for 7 October 2022.

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, has appointed Ignazio Corrao, Member of the European Parliament, as Chief Observer of the 2022 EU EOM to Lesotho. It will be the first election observation mission ever deployed by the European Union to the country.

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “The European Union highly values its partnership with the Kingdom of Lesotho and appreciates the invitation by the authorities to observe the forthcoming elections. The deployment of this first ever EU Election Observation Mission illustrates the continuous strengthening of the Lesotho – EU partnership, dating back to 1976. Under the leadership of Chief Observer Mr Corrao, the EU EOM will undertake an independent assessment of the electoral process and work together with Lesotho to strengthen further the country’s democratic institutions.”

The Chief Observer, Ignazio Corrao, said: “It is a great honour for me to lead this EOM and I have accepted this task with a great sense of responsibility. I look forward to meeting and engaging with representatives of state institutions, traditional authorities, political parties and candidates, civil society organisations, in particular youth representatives, media and others that are playing important roles in ensuring a peaceful and transparent electoral process.”

Background

The EU EOM is composed of different groups of observers. The Core Team consists of 9 election experts who will arrive in Maseru on 27 August 2022. On 10 September, 22 long-term observers will join the mission to be deployed across the country and follow the election campaign. Thereafter, 30 short-term observers will reinforce the mission on election day. The EU EOM will remain in the country until the completion of the electoral process.

In line with the EU methodology on election observation, the mission will issue a preliminary statement and hold a press conference in Maseru after the election day. A final report, including recommendations for future electoral processes, will be presented after the finalisation of the entire electoral process.

Source: European Commission