Constitution:
2 April 1993
Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of
legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note -
King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to
February 1995, while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none - according to the constitution, the leader of the
majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister;
the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution,
which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is
a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession,
or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not
of mature age
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22
principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120
in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC
7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18
Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court;
customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE];
Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho
National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang
Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD
[Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party
or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone
MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou
Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or
NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief
Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho
RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social
Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party
or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,
NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815