IEC collaborates with media houses and NGO's as the countdown for the 2002 general elections unfolds.
	The IEC is trying ahead of the forthcoming elections to involve all stake holders to participate in the dissemination of information and the enhancement of voter education to ensure that the 2002 general elections are a success. The information officer of the IEC Mr.Rethabile Pholo said in their two pronged approach, their first task involved a media workshop held a fortnight ago to highlight all media practitioners on the new electoral model and the allocation of seats in the parliament. The workshop was also used as a basis to urge local journalists to strive towards providing valid and well balanced articles about electoral processes. The workshop also established that the media is the only vehicle of communication between the IEC and the public at large. Mr. Pholo also expressed  during the workshop the need for media houses to assist the IEC in voter education via newspaper columns, radio documentaries and electronic media. The second part of the IEC's campaign was a collaboration with NGO's namely; Lesotho Council of NGO's(LCN)and Transformation Resource Centre(TRC) whereby the two organisations have joined hands with the IEC to facilitate the production of an instruction manual to be used for voter education. Currently, LCN,TRC and IEC have successfully facilitated a training of trainer's workshop over the last two weeks. It is hoped that the trainees, still fresh from their training will be holding workshops for about two hundred voter educators around the country starting from today. The new electoral model to be used in the forthcoming elections is the MIXED MEMBER PROPORTIONAL (MMP) system also termed "Motsoako oa Masiasiane Le Khekhethane".This model is a mixture of First-past-The-Post and Proportional Representation electoral systems. Lesotho is the First country in Africa and the eighth in the world to adopt the MMP electoral mode.MMP was suggested by the Interim Political Authority(IPA) after the 1998 elections which resulted in political riots that nearly caused a civil war. In the MMP model, voters have a choice to make for their preferred candidate and their preferred political party. It also facilitates representation in parliament of disadvantaged groups and small political parties. However, the disadvantage of MMP is that it is relatively complicated as a result of two ballot papers. The formation of government will be more complicated than in the First-Past-The-Post system.
	Source: Government Website