{"id":65780,"date":"2025-12-28T17:11:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T17:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm"},"modified":"2025-12-28T17:29:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T17:29:32","slug":"iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","title":{"rendered":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

Concerns are mounting in Lesotho over delays in appointing commissioners to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The Democratic Congress (DC) and other parties warn that this vacuum threatens the electoral system’s integrity and could undermine upcoming local government elections. The situation has escalated to a constitutional crisis as the contracts of outgoing commissioners expire soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong> <\/span>Concerns over delays in the appointment of commissioners to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have escalated sharply, with the Democratic Congress (DC), Lesotho\u2019s official opposition party, joining earlier warnings by smaller parties that the vacuum threatens the constitutional functioning of the country\u2019s electoral body.<\/p>\n

In a strongly worded press statement issued this week, the DC said it was \u201cprofoundly concerned\u201d by what it described as an unjustified and constitutionally troubling delay in finalising the appointment of three IEC commissioners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe continued failure to appoint IEC Commissioners threatens the integrity, legality and effective functioning of Lesotho\u2019s electoral system,\u201d the DC said.<\/p>\n

The opposition party\u2019s intervention follows similar concerns raised earlier by the Yean for Economic Sustainability (YES) party, which wrote to the Council of State urging it to advise His Majesty King Letsie III to proceed with the appointments in terms of section 66(4) of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is currently no legal impediment, court order or lawful restraint preventing the Council of State from proceeding to advise His Majesty the King to finalise the appointment of IEC Commissioners,\u201d YES leader Molefi Ntsonyane said in the party\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n

The controversy stems from a recruitment process initiated in July 2025, when political parties registered with the IEC were invited to nominate candidates for appointment as commissioners. The Forum of Political Parties subsequently submitted five names to the Council of State, from which three commissioners are to be appointed.<\/p>\n

The process stalled after two unsuccessful applicants, Tumisang Mosotho and Peshoane Tsikoane, challenged the selection process in court. Their application was dismissed by the Constitutional Court. Although they later indicated an intention to appeal, no application for a stay of execution or suspension of the judgment was filed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn law, an intention to appeal does not suspend the operation of a valid court judgment,\u201d the DC said, arguing that the legal path for appointments has long been clear.<\/p>\n

The matter has gained urgency as the contracts of the outgoing IEC commissioners expire at the end of December 2025, creating a leadership vacuum from 1 January 2026.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with the Lesotho Times, outgoing IEC chairperson Mphasa Mokhochane warned that the absence of commissioners would paralyse the Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny absence of commissioners at the IEC is a grave mistake that should not be repeated,\u201d Mokhochane said, cautioning that the Secretariat cannot lawfully exercise powers reserved for commissioners.<\/p>\n

The DC echoed this concern, warning that the vacuum undermines the independence and authority of the IEC and exposes officials to legal vulnerability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Constitution vests direction, control and decision-making authority of the IEC in its Commissioners, not in its Secretariat,\u201d the DC said, adding that the situation compromises electoral preparedness, dispute resolution and institutional governance.<\/p>\n

Both DC and YES have warned that the delay could frustrate upcoming local government by-elections in several electoral divisions where councillors have died and need to be replaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis matter is of national urgency,\u201d YES said, arguing that continued delays risk undermining constitutional governance and eroding public confidence in democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

The DC further invoked regional and international standards, noting that African Union, SADC and United Nations principles require electoral management bodies to be independent, properly constituted at all times and operationally continuous between electoral cycles.<\/p>\n

With pressure now coming from both minor parties and the official opposition, attention has turned to the Council of State, which has yet to publicly explain the continued delay. Efforts by the Lesotho Times to obtain comment from the Council of State were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

As the end of the year approaches, the growing consensus across the political spectrum is that the delay in appointing IEC commissioners has moved beyond administrative caution and now poses a serious constitutional and democratic risk.<\/p>\n

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Lesotho plays a crucial role in overseeing the country’s electoral processes. Established to ensure free and fair elections, the IEC’s effectiveness relies heavily on the timely appointment of its commissioners. Delays in these appointments can lead to significant disruptions in the electoral cycle, affecting public trust in democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Lesotho has faced political instability, often marked by disputes over electoral management and governance. The current situation reflects ongoing tensions among political parties and highlights the importance of maintaining an independent and functional electoral body to uphold the<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Lesotho<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know Concerns are mounting in Lesotho over delays in appointing commissioners to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The Democratic Congress (DC) and other parties warn that this vacuum threatens the electoral system’s integrity and could undermine upcoming local government elections. The situation has escalated to a constitutional crisis as the contracts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":65779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[6984,685,6985,245,6983],"class_list":["post-65780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-democratic-congress","tag-elections","tag-iec","tag-lesotho","tag-political-crisis"],"yoast_head":"\nIEC commissioner delays spark political alarm - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"840\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\"},\"wordCount\":795,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Democratic Congress\",\"elections\",\"IEC\",\"Lesotho\",\"political crisis\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\",\"name\":\"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm - Lesotho\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg\",\"width\":1152,\"height\":840,\"caption\":\"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\",\"name\":\"Lesotho\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm - Lesotho","description":"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm","og_description":"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","og_site_name":"Lesotho","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1152,"height":840,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm","datePublished":"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm"},"wordCount":795,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg","keywords":["Democratic Congress","elections","IEC","Lesotho","political crisis"],"articleSection":["all news","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm","name":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm - Lesotho","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-28T17:11:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-28T17:29:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Delays in appointing IEC commissioners raise concerns about Lesotho's electoral integrity and constitutional governance.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/12\/sm_1766942879.133759.jpg","width":1152,"height":840,"caption":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/iec-commissioner-delays-spark-political-alarm#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IEC commissioner delays spark political alarm"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/","name":"Lesotho","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}