Accessibility links

Breaking News

Lesotho Brings Forward Vote to Ease Political Crisis


South African President Jacob Zuma (L), Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (2nd L), Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane (C) and Botswana President Ian Khama (2nd R) stand for a group photo following an emergency meeting on the current situation in Lesotho, Sept. 15, 2014.
South African President Jacob Zuma (L), Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (2nd L), Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane (C) and Botswana President Ian Khama (2nd R) stand for a group photo following an emergency meeting on the current situation in Lesotho, Sept. 15, 2014.

Lesotho will hold elections earlier than scheduled in 2017, in an effort to ease a political crisis that resulted in an apparent coup last month, southern African regional leaders said on Tuesday.

Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane fled to South Africa at the end of August, accusing his deputy, Mothetjoa Metsing, of planning a coup against him and requesting southern African states send in peace keepers.

South African police escorted Thabane back to Lesotho and provided him with protection but no peace keeping force was deployed.

Tension within the coalition government has risen since Thabane suspended parliament in June, in a move strongly opposed by Metsing.

South African President Jacob Zuma, whose territory envelops Lesotho, called a meeting of regional leaders on Monday night to discuss security developments in the mountainous kingdom.

Regional leaders urged Lesotho to lift the suspension of parliament and restore “constitutional normalcy.”

“The Leaders of the Coalition Government have agreed to bring forward the date of the elections from 2017 to the date to be agreed upon after consultations,” a statement from the Southern African Development Community said.

Lesotho, a mountainous state of two million people, has suffered a several coups since independence from Britain in 1966.

Besides textile exports and a slice of regional customs receipts, Lesotho's other big earner is hydropower and water, both of which it supplies to neighbor South Africa.

  • 16x9 Image

    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

XS
SM
MD
LG