When democracy fades away: loss of faith in local government elections in Lesotho, 1960–2023

Abstract

Voter turnout in Lesotho’s local government elections is low and has declined over the years (Shale & Moholisa, 2010; Kapa, 2011). While this trend has also marked general elections (Likoti & Likoti, 2018; Modau & Nyane, 2023), it is more pronounced in local government elections. This chapter aims to unpack this phenomenon’s structural drivers and superstructural triggers within the broader democratic theory and regime typology discourses. The chapter focuses on public participation, a concept within which voter turnout should be understood. This study is unique because it uses a combination of the political economy and electoral cycle approaches to identify the causes of low voter turnout and voter apathy in Lesotho’s local government elections. The study is not confined to identifying the causes of low and declining voter turnout. It also proffers possible solutions aimed at broadly entrenching democracy and community/village democracy specifically. The study adopts a qualitative methodology encompassing desk research and interviews with purposively selected multi-stakeholder key informants (KIs). The next part of this chapter offers a contextual and theoretical basis for this study. This is followed by the conceptual frameworks that inform the discussion. The methodology for data collection and analysis is then introduced. This is followed by identifying the political economy and electoral cycle factors that explain low and declining voter turnout in Lesotho. Finally, the conclusion highlights the core argument of the chapter, distilling the main findings and proposing remedies for this phenomenon by way of policy recommendations.