Pakalitha Mosisili Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Lesotho opposition leader flees to Botswana

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 22:00:00 +0000

For a second time in months, Tom Thabane has fled Lesotho for fear of his life.
As prime minister of the mountain kingdom he crossed into South Africa last year saying the military was planning to kill him.
This week as leader of the opposition, he has sought refuge in Botswana.
I met Tom Thabane at breakfast in the Gaberone Sun.
He says he has done and investigations and believes his life is threatened.
it is not clear who is seeing here and how long he will stay.
Thabane sought refuge in Pretoria last year, triggering a regional mediation effort headed by President Jacob Zuma.
that led to early elections in Lesotho where he was defeated by Pakalitha Mosisili

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Zuma heads to Lesotho for premier’s inauguration

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

President Jacob Zuma heads to Lesotho tomorrow for the inauguration of the Prime Minister-elect Pakalitha Mosisili.

He’s been invited by King Letsie III.

Pakalitha Mosisili won elections in Lesotho on February 28.

He’s formed a coalition of seven parties to hold enough seats in the legislature of the mountain kingdom and regain the reins he relinquished nearly three years ago.

President Zuma will be accompanied by Deputy-President Cyril Ramaphosa, who played a key role as the regional mediator in the imbroglio that follows the abortive coup in Lesotho six months ago that drove outgoing Prime Minister Tom Thabane briefly into exile in South Africa.

Mothetjoa Metsing, who was Thabane’s deputy and suspected of being behind the attempted coup, has retained this position by joining the ruling coalition.

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Lesotho will have another coalition government

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Official results from Lesotho’s snap election last Saturday show the mountain kingdom will be run by another coalition government.

No party has secured enough votes to govern alone.

Saturday’s parliamentary election in Lesotho two years ahead of schedule was intended to ease tensions after an attempted coup last August.

The All Basotho Convention of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who fled to South Africa to avoid being overthrown, has won 40 out of 80 constituencies.

The Democratic Congress of former premier Pakalitha Mosisili has taken 37.

Two other parties hold the other three constituencies.

The exact make-up of the 120-member parliament will be announced today as 40 seats are allocated proportionate to votes cast – and there were 23 parties participating.

No single party will be able to get the 61 seats needed to rule outright.

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Another coalition government looms for Lesotho

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

There are increasing signs that last Saturday’s election in Lesotho will result in yet another coalition government.

Results coming in from rural areas have narrowed the early lead won by incumbent prime minister Tom Thabane.

With tallying almost completed last night, Tom Thabane’s All Basotho Convention has 40 of the 120 seats in the assembly.

The Democratic Congress of Pakalitha Mosisili, a former prime minister, won 33 seats.

Thabane’s former coalition partner the Lesotho Congress for Democracy has two seats.

The election, endorsed by both the region and the continent, was for 80 of the assembly places. The remaining 40 are distributed proportionally after the final tally.

Thabane must get enough of these to win an outright parliamentary majority – or start talking a deal with a smaller party.

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