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- Lesotho, a small kingdom in southern Africa is holding parliamentary elections. It has a unique distinction of having ousted the heads of government before they completed the term of office. The tiny landlocked country having a population of 2.2 million people, harks back a long history of political turmoil
Lesotho, a small kingdom in southern Africa is holding parliamentary elections. It has a unique distinction of having ousted the heads of government before they completed the term of office. The tiny landlocked country having a population of 2.2 million people, harks back a long history of political turmoil.
In 30 years of rule, the monarch Moshoeshoe II was twice forced into exile. The current king, his son Letsie III, succeeded him in 1996. However, in 2014, a failed coup led to the flight of the former prime minister. He was reinstated through foreign mediation. Campaign rallies were held recently, which was taken part by thousands of supporters vowing allegiance to different political parties.
The king has no real power under the hybrid of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Powers are vested with the Prime Minister. The country for the past decade has been ruled by coalition governments. No party was able to win an absolute majority at the ballot box, which has 120 seats in its Assembly. Of that 80 are elected and 40 are appointed by proportional representation.
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Lesotho tried before the election to stabilize its system. It was aimed at preventing members from switching sides once elected. It was supported by the European Union, the United Nations, and neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). But that attempt failed. Now, its inhabitants are keeping their fingers crossed whether they would be able to elect a government having a majority of seats. Even then, the defections can upset the apple cart.
