Lesotho: Late British protectorate (1913-1966) (continued)

The Basotholand National Council was comprised one half of appointed chiefs and the other half of members elected by the District Councils (Lesotho Government Undated). The nominated members were the 22 principle chiefs, 14 members appointed by Moshoeshoe II and four by the Commissioner; the BCP and its allies won 30 of the 40 indirectly elected seats in the Basotholand National Council, with five going to the BNP, one to the MTP and four to independents (Lodge et al 2002, 91). However, with the support of the appointed members, the Executive Council was dominated by conservatives (Lesotho Government Undated; Institute of Security Studies 2003; Lye & Murray 1980, 84).

The BCP reacted to the situation by demanding constitutional reform and its calls were backed by Moshoeshoe II; in 1961 he appointed a Constitutional Review Commission to draft an independence constitution (Lyle & Murray 1980, 84; Institute of Security Studies 2003). In October 1993 it recommended a constitutional monarchy with executive power in the hands of a Prime Minister who would be answerable to a two-chamber parliament comprised of a lower house, whose members would be from single member constituencies elected by plurality, and an upper house comprised two-thirds of principle chiefs and one-third of monarchical appointments (Lesotho Government Undated). The report, with modifications to the details, was accepted in 1964 by the Basotholand National Council and, after a constitutional conference in London, by the British (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2005; Lye & Murray 1980, 84).

Elections under the new constitution were held in April 1965 and were won by the BNP with a minority of votes (42%) and a small majority of seats (31 of 60) (see 1965 National Assembly election results). The MFP split just prior to the elections and faired badly, taking only 4 seats, while the BCP became the official opposition with 25 seats (Lodge et al 2002, 91). Setting a pattern that was to characterise electoral politics in the future, the opposition contested the results alleging electoral fraud and violent conflicts followed (Lodge et al 2002, 96). The two opposition parties attempted to stall the independence process and combined, with support from Moshoeshoe II, to agitate for greater executive powers for the King iro foreign affairs and the military (Lodge et al 2002, 92). The Moshoeshoe II attempted to block the motion before Parliament requesting independence by replacing 5 of the 11 senators nominated by him, but the High Court ruled that his right to appoint senators did not include the right to dismiss them, and the motion was passed (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2005). The opposition withdrew from the final independence conference in June 1966 and King Moshoeshoe refused to sign the independence agreement (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2005).

Independence was restored to the Kingdom of Lesotho on 4 October 1966 by Britain under circumstance that boded ill for its future. The people were impoverished, the land was mountainous and endowed with few natural resources, the economy was underdeveloped and heavily dependent on remittances from migrant labour and it was wholly surrounded by a more powerful and potentially hostile foreign state. Its politics was characterised by a non-executive King who would not accept that limited role, a government whose legitimacy was called into question since it governed on a minority of votes, an embittered and confrontational opposition that felt cheated and marginalised and a general tendency amongst all involved to resort to violence to express political dissatisfaction.

References

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE NATIONS 2005, "Lesotho History", Thomson Gale, [www] http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Lesotho-HISTORY.html [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

INSTITUTE OF SECURITY STUDIES 2003, "Lesotho: History and Politics", [www] http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/Lesotho/Politics.html [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

LESOTHO GOVERNMENT UNDATED, "History of the Basotho", [www] http://www.lesothoemb-usa.gov.ls/profile.htm [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

LODGE, T, KADIMA, D & POTTIE, D (eds) 2002 Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa, EISA.

LYE WF &338; MURRAY, C 2000 Transformations on the Highveld: The Tswana and Southern Sotho, David Philip.