O-Sense
New Lesotho Coalition Government to be Inaugurated on March 17, 2015
The Prime Minister - Elect of the Kingdom of Lesotho Dr. Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili MP
Following National Assembly Elections held on the 28th February 2015, a new Coalition Government is expected to be inaugurated in Maseru on Tuesday 17th March. Lesotho had to go for an early election under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediation led by the facilitator His Excellency Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President of South Africa.
The final results announced by the Lesotho Independent Electoral Commission on Wednesday March 4th, showed none of the 23 political parties that contested the elections winning a majority of the 120 parliamentary seats:
- The Democratic Congress (DC) of former Prime Minister Dr Pakalitha Mosisili won 37 constituencies and a total of 47 seats;
- The All Basotho Convention (ABC) of the out-going Prime Minister Dr Thomas Thabane managed to win 40 constituencies and 46 seats;
- The Lesotho Congress for Democracy of out-going Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Mothejoa Metsing won 12 seats with two constituencies;
- the Basotho National Party led by Chief Thesele Maseribane won seven (7) seats and one constituency;
- Parties that won two seats each were the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).
- Four parties that won one seat each were the Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), National Independent Party (NIP), Basutoland Congress Party (BCP) and the Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC).
Ten political parties are therefore represented in the ninth Parliament of the Kingdom of Lesotho. In a press briefing on March 5th, leaders of the DC, LCD, MFP, NIP, BCP and LPC – later joined by the PFD – announced an intention to form a coalition government.
When the ninth Parliament convened on the 10th March, a Member of Parliament (MP) for the DC, Hon. Ms. Ntlhoi Motsamai MP was elected Speaker of the National Assembly and Mr. Montšuoe Lethoba of the LCD was elected Deputy Speaker. This is considered as confirmation that the DC-led coalition enjoys the support of the Majority of Members of the National Assembly, a condition considered necessary and sufficient for its leader to be considered Prime Minister Designate. It is therefore expected that Honourable Dr Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili MP, who had been Prime Minister from 1998 to 2012 will be inaugurated as the new Head of Government of Lesotho on Tuesday 17 March 2015.
13 March 2015 - Lesotho Embassy