Lesotho’s 2015 Legislative Election: Providing or Undermining Stability?

Abstract

Abstract:Political unrest in 2014 threatened Lesotho's newly found democratic stability. Observers focus on educating the public about the electoral system and encouraging pre-election coalition discussions. However, this analysis suggests this ignores the institutional influences of Lesotho's electoral system that undermine both public understanding and stability. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of district competition finds the 2015 elections to be largely consistent with previous elections, but that the percentage of rejected ballots correlates with a district victory for the largest party. Although this may simply be a statistical anomaly, the findings highlight structural challenges and reconsideration of electoral reforms.

The Powers of a Coalitional Prime Minister under the Constitution of Lesotho

“…In contrast, the coalition partners often resort to coalition agreements and the threat to withdraw their support to the Prime Minister in the National Assembly. During the maiden 2012-2015 coalition between All Basotho Convention, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), and Basotho National Party, the disagreement over the non-consultative nature of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane was very common (Banerjee & Rich, 2017). The disagreement became so acute that it even became the basis for the premature collapse of that coalition.…”