Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma's statement on political progress in Lesotho.
“The ‘Maseru Facilitation Declaration’ is an important and constructive way forward in resolving the recent political impasse in Lesotho,” Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said today.
“The Commonwealth welcomes the willingness of all parties in Lesotho to commit themselves to the Declaration, and we are also deeply appreciative of the contribution of South Africa’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the Facilitator appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in reaching this point.”
The Secretary-General was commenting after meeting with his Special Envoy to Lesotho, Dr Rajen Prasad, a former Member of Parliament from New Zealand.
“The next priority is to address the security challenges in Lesotho, and we are pleased that SADC is being a supportive partner on this.
“The Commonwealth has made a number of contributions, including organising a study visit to New Zealand by a broad-based delegation of Lesotho political leaders and senior officials, in July 2014, and a report of proposed reforms entitled, ‘Governance in Lesotho: Repositioning for Success.’ We are very pleased that there is widespread support for some of the proposed reforms and the Commonwealth stands ready and willing to assist their implementation.
“The next election in Lesotho is now expected by the end of February 2015. The Commonwealth will collaborate with SADC, the United Nations, and other partners, to support the Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho in delivering this crucial election.
“The Commonwealth will also continue its efforts to strengthen democracy in Lesotho by preparing guidelines to help build effective coalition government, which we will submit for consideration by all political parties in Lesotho.”
“The Charter of the Commonwealth is clear: Governments, political parties and civil society are responsible for upholding and promoting democratic culture and practices. I am sure the need to rise above personal interests will be recognised in favour of the national imperative to consolidate democracy in Lesotho," the Secretary-General concluded.
