National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
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 17 February 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54.9%, BNP 22.4%,
LPC 5.8%, NIP 5.5% other 11.5%; seats by party - LCD 77, BNP 21, LPC
5, NIP 5, other 10
Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts;
customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African
Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP
[Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen.
Justin Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo
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 or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP
[Vincent MALEBO]; National Democratic Party [J.S. Bereng]; National
Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive
Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; New Lesotho Freedom Party
or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; 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, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO