--- title: Lesotho — English Wikipedia · full text with trees description: Wikipedia's «Lesotho», whole, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics, CC BY-SA 4.0. It begins: Lesotho (/lɪˈsuːtuː/ lih-SOO-too; lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/) / [en](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/) / Lesotho # Lesotho From Wikipedia, [«Lesotho»](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho), revision of the 2026-09-01 dump, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The trees and pragmatics of these pages, Mova's parse of that text, are CC BY-SA 4.0 too. The English Wikipedia article «Lesotho», whole: 27 sections, 300 sentences and 6044 words, its 114 notes at the end. The marks in brackets «[n]» are Wikipedia's own, each leading to its note and source; the small number after every sentence leads to the sentence's own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/page/3/) | Facts | | | --- | --- | | | **Kingdom of Lesotho · Naha ea Lesotho** | | | **Motto:** ; "Peace, Rain, Prosperity" | | | **Anthem:** [Lesotho fatše la bo-ntat'a rona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Fatše_La_Bontata_Rona); ("Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers") | | | Location of Lesotho (dark green) | | Capital and largest city | [Maseru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maseru) [corpus](../Maseru/ "in our corpus"); 29°18′54″S 27°29′13″E | | Official languages | [Sesotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_language); [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_English) | | [Ethnic groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_group) (2020) | 99.7% [Basotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_people); 0.3% others | | [Demonym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonym) | Mosotho (singular); Basotho (plural) | | Government | Unitary [parliamentary constitutional monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_constitutional_monarchy) | | • [Monarch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Lesotho) | [Letsie III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letsie_III_of_Lesotho) | | • [Prime Minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Lesotho) | [Sam Matekane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Matekane) | | Legislature | [Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Lesotho) | | • [Upper house](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_house) | [Senate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_%28Lesotho%29) | | • [Lower house](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_house) | [National Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_%28Lesotho%29) | | **Independence from the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) [corpus](../United_Kingdom/ "in our corpus")** | | | • [Basutoland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basutoland) | 18 March 1884 | | • Independence declared | 4 October 1966 | | **Area** | | | • Total | 30,355 km² (11,720 sq mi) ([137th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area)) | | • Water (%) | negligible | | **Population** | | | • 2024 estimate | 2,116,427[\[1\]](page/3/#ref-1 "note 1") ([145th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population)) | | • Density | 68.1/km² (162.4/sq mi) ([138th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density)) | | [GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product) ([PPP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity)) | 2023 estimate | | • Total | $6.915 billion[\[2\]](page/3/#ref-2 "note 2") ([168th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29)) | | • Per capita | $3,234[\[2\]](page/3/#ref-2 "note 2") ([164th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita)) | | [GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product) (nominal) | 2023 estimate | | • Total | $2.373 billion[\[2\]](page/3/#ref-2 "note 2") ([184th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29)) | | • Per capita | $1,110[\[2\]](page/3/#ref-2 "note 2") ([169th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita)) | | [Gini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient) (2017) | 44.9[\[3\]](page/3/#ref-3 "note 3"); medium inequality | | [HDI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) (2023) | 0.550[\[4\]](page/3/#ref-4 "note 4"); medium ([167th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index)) | | Currency | [Lesotho loti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_loti) (LSL); [South African rand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_rand) (ZAR) | | Time zone | [UTC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time)+02:00 ([SAST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Standard_Time)) | | Calling code | +266 | | [Internet TLD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code_top-level_domain) | [.ls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.ls) | | Facts | | | --- | --- | | Root | Sotho | | Person | **Mo**sotho | | People | [**Ba**sotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_people) | | Country | **Le**sotho | | Language | [**Se**sotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_language) | Lesotho (/lɪˈsuːtuː/ lih-SOO-too;[\[5\]](page/3/#ref-5 "note 5") lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ),[\[7\]](page/3/#ref-7 "note 7") officially the Kingdom of Lesotho[\[8\]](page/3/#ref-8 "note 8"), is a [landlocked country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landlocked_country) in [Southern Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Africa).[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Surrounded by [South Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa) [corpus](../South_Africa/ "in our corpus"), it is the largest of the [three sovereign enclaves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_enclaves_and_exclaves#Enclaves_that_are_not_exclaves).[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Lesotho is located in the [Maloti Mountains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maloti_Mountains), with the [highest peak in southern Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thabana_Ntlenyana).[\[9\]](page/3/#ref-9 "note 9")[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") It has an area of over 30000 km2, with a population of about 2.3 million.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Its [capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city) and largest city is [Maseru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maseru) [corpus](../Maseru/ "in our corpus").[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Lesotho was formed in 1824 by [King Moshoeshoe I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_I). Continuous encroachments by Dutch settlers made the King enter into an agreement with the United Kingdom to become a [protectorate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate) in 1868 and, in 1884, a [crown colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_colony).[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") [It achieved independence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lesotho) in 1966, and was subsequently ruled by the [Basotho National Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basotho_National_Party) (BNP) for two decades.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Its constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") [King Moshoeshoe II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_II_of_Lesotho) was exiled in 1990 but returned in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") One year later, Moshoeshoe II died and his son [Letsie III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letsie_III) took the throne, which he still holds.[\[10\]](page/3/#ref-10 "note 10")[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Sotho ethnic group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_people) (also known as Basotho), from which the country derives its name, comprises 99.7% of the country's current population, making it one of the most [ethnically homogeneous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoethnicity) in the world.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Their native language, [Sesotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotho_language), is an official language along with [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language), [IsiXhosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_language), and [SiPhuthi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuthi_language).[\[11\]](page/3/#ref-11 "note 11")[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") Lesotho is considered a [lower middle income country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country) with significant socioeconomic challenges, but also [one of the highest rates of literacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate) in Africa (81% as of 2021).[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Lesotho is a member of the [United Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations), the [Non-Aligned Movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement), the [Commonwealth of Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations), the [African Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union), and the [Southern African Development Community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_African_Development_Community).[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") ## History Main article: [History of Lesotho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lesotho) ### Basutoland [Basutoland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basutoland) emerged as a single [polity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_politic) under King [Moshoeshoe I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_I) in 1822.[\[12\]](page/3/#ref-12 "note 12")[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Moshoeshoe, a son of Mokhachane, a minor [chief](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_chief) of the Bakoteli lineage, formed his own [clan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan) and became a chief around 1804.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") Between 1820 and 1823, he and his followers settled at the [Butha-Buthe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butha-Buthe) Mountain, joining with former adversaries in resistance against the [Lifaqane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mfecane) associated with the reign of [Shaka kaSenzangakhona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_kaSenzangakhona) from 1818 to 1828.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") Further evolution of the state emerged from conflicts between [British](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire) and [Dutch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands) colonists leaving the [Cape Colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Colony) following its seizure from the French-allied Dutch by the British in 1795, and also from the [Orange River Sovereignty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_River_Sovereignty) and subsequent [Orange Free State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Free_State).[\[13\]](page/3/#ref-13 "note 13")[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Missionaries [Thomas Arbousset](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Arbousset), [Eugène Casalis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Casalis) and Constant Gosselin from the [Paris Evangelical Missionary Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Evangelical_Missionary_Society), invited by Moshoeshoe I, were placed at [Morija](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morija), developing Sesotho [orthography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthography) and printed works in the [Sesotho language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesotho_language) between 1837 and 1855.[\[14\]](page/3/#ref-14 "note 14")[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") Casalis, acting as translator and providing advice on foreign affairs, helped set up diplomatic channels and acquire guns for use against the encroaching Europeans and the [Griqua people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griqua_people).[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") [Trekboers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trekboers) from Cape Colony arrived on the western borders of Basutoland and claimed rights to its land, the first of which being Jan de Winnaar who settled in the Matlakeng area in 1838.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Incoming [Boers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boers) attempted to colonise the land between the two rivers and north of the [Caledon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledon_River), claiming that it had been abandoned by the Sotho people.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Moshoeshoe subsequently signed a treaty with the British Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir [George Thomas Napier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Napier), that annexed the Orange River Sovereignty where Boers had settled.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") These outraged Boers were suppressed in a skirmish in 1848.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1851, a British force was defeated by the Basotho army at the city of Kolonyama.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") After repelling another British attack in 1852, Moshoeshoe sent an appeal to the British commander that settled the dispute diplomatically, and then defeated the Batlokoa in 1853.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1854, the British pulled out of the region, and in 1858, Moshoeshoe fought a series of wars with the Boers in what is known as the [Free State–Basotho War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State–Basotho_Wars).[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") As a result, Moshoeshoe lost a portion of the western lowlands.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") The last war with the Boers ended in 1867 when Moshoeshoe appealed to [Queen Victoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria) who agreed to make Basutoland a [British protectorate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_protectorate) in 1868.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1869, the British signed a treaty at [Aliwal North](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliwal_North) with the Boers that defined the boundaries of Basutoland.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") This treaty reduced Moshoeshoe's kingdom to half its previous size by ceding the western territories.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") Then, the British transferred functions from Moshoeshoe's capital in [Thaba Bosiu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaba_Bosiu) to a police camp on the northwest border, [Maseru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maseru) [corpus](../Maseru/ "in our corpus"), until eventually the administration of Basutoland was transferred to the Cape Colony in 1871.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Moshoeshoe died on 11 March 1870, marking the beginning of the colonial era of Basutoland.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") In the Cape Colony period between 1871 and 1884, Basutoland was treated similarly to other territories that had been forcibly annexed, much to the humiliation of the Basotho, leading to the [Basuto Gun War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basuto_Gun_War) in 1880–1881.[\[15\]](page/3/#ref-15 "note 15")[\[16\]](page/3/#ref-16 "note 16")[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1884, the territory became a [Crown colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_colony) by the name of Basutoland, with Maseru as its capital.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") It remained under direct rule by a governor, while effective internal power was wielded by tribal chiefs.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1905, a [railway line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maseru_branch_line) was built to connect Maseru to the railway network of South Africa.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Independence Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom and became the Kingdom of Lesotho [on 4 October 1966](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lesotho#Kingdom_of_Lesotho).[\[17\]](page/3/#ref-17 "note 17")[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Basotho National Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basotho_National_Party) (BNP) ruled from 1966 until January 1970.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") What later ensued was a [de facto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto) government led by [Leabua Jonathan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leabua_Jonathan).[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") In January 1970, the ruling BNP lost the [first post-independence general elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Lesotho_general_election), with 23 seats to the [Basotho Congress Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basutoland_Congress_Party)'s (BCP) 36.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") Prime Minister Jonathan refused to cede power to BCP, instead declaring himself prime minister and imprisoning the BCP leadership.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") BCP began a rebellion and then received training in [Libya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Arab_Republic) for its [Lesotho Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Liberation_Army) (LLA) under the pretense of being [Azanian People's Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azanian_People%27s_Liberation_Army) soldiers of the [Pan Africanist Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Africanist_Congress_of_Azania) (PAC).[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Deprived of arms and supplies by the [David Sibeko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sibeko) faction of PAC in 1978, the 178-strong LLA was rescued from their [Tanzanian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania) [corpus](../Tanzania/ "in our corpus") base by the financial assistance of a [Maoist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoism) PAC officer and launched a [guerrilla war](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare).[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") A force was defeated in northern Lesotho, and later guerrillas launched more sporadic attacks.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") The campaign was compromised when BCP's leader, [Ntsu Mokhehle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntsu_Mokhehle), went to [Pretoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria) [corpus](../Pretoria/ "in our corpus").[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") In the 1980s, some Basotho who sympathised with the exiled BCP were threatened with death and attacked by the government of Leabua Jonathan.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") On 4 September 1981, the family of Benjamin Masilo was attacked.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") In the attack his three-year-old grandson died.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Four days later, Edgar Mahlomola Motuba, the editor of the newspaper Leselinyana la Lesotho, was abducted from his home, together with two friends, and murdered.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") After Jonathan was sacked in a 1986 coup, the Transitional Military Council that came to power granted executive powers to [King Moshoeshoe II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_II_of_Lesotho), who was until then a [ceremonial monarch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_monarch).[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1987 the king was forced into [exile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile) after coming up with a 6-page memorandum on how he wanted the Lesotho's constitution to be, which would have given him more executive powers than the military government had originally agreed to.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") His son was installed as [King Letsie III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letsie_III_of_Lesotho) in his place.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The chairman of the [military junta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_junta), Major General [Justin Metsing Lekhanya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Metsing_Lekhanya), was ousted in 1991 and replaced by Major General [Elias Phisoana Ramaema](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Phisoana_Ramaema) who handed over power to a democratically elected government of BCP in 1993.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") Moshoeshoe II returned from exile in 1992 as an ordinary citizen.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") After the return to democratic government, King Letsie III tried unsuccessfully to persuade the BCP government to reinstate his father (Moshoeshoe II) as [head of state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_state).[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") In August 1994, Letsie III staged [a military-backed coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Lesotho_coup_d%27état) that deposed the BCP government, after the BCP government refused to reinstate his father, Moshoeshoe II, according to Lesotho's constitution.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") Member states of the [Southern African Development Community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_African_Development_Community) (SADC) engaged in negotiations to reinstate the BCP government.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") One of the conditions Letsie III put forward for this was that his father should be re-installed as head of state.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") After protracted negotiations, the BCP government was reinstated and Letsie III abdicated in favour of his father in 1995, and ascended the throne again when Moshoeshoe II died at the age of 57 in a supposed road accident when his car plunged off a mountain road on 15 January 1996.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") According to a government statement, Moshoeshoe had set out at 1 am to visit his [cattle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle) at Matsieng and was returning to Maseru through the [Maluti Mountains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maluti_Mountains) when his car left the road.[\[18\]](page/3/#ref-18 "note 18")[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1997, the ruling BCP split over leadership disputes.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") Mokhehle formed a new party, the [Lesotho Congress for Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Congress_for_Democracy) (LCD), and was followed by a majority of members of [parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament), which enabled him to form a new government.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") [Pakalitha Mosisili](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakalitha_Mosisili) succeeded Mokhehle as party leader and LCD won the general elections in 1998.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") Opposition protests "intensified", culminating in a demonstration outside the royal [palace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace) in August 1998.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") While the [Botswana Defence Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botswana_Defence_Force) troops were welcomed, tensions with [South African National Defence Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_National_Defence_Force) troops resulted in fighting.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") Incidents of [rioting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioting) "intensified" when South African troops hoisted a South African flag over the Royal Palace.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") By the time the SADC forces withdrew in May 1999, much of Maseru "lay in ruins", and the southern provincial capital towns of [Mafeteng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafeteng) and [Mohale's Hoek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohale%27s_Hoek) had lost over a third of their commercial [real estate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_estate).[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") An Interim Political Authority (IPA), charged with reviewing the electoral structure in the country, was created in December 1998.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") The IPA devised a proportional electoral system to ensure that the opposition would be represented in the [National Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_%28Lesotho%29).[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") The new system retained the existing 80 elected Assembly seats, and added 40 seats to be filled on a proportional basis.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") [Elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Lesotho_general_election) were held under this new system in May 2002, and LCD won, gaining 54% of the vote.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") There are irregularities and threats of violence from Major General Lekhanya.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") Nine opposition parties hold all 40 of the proportional seats, with BNP having the largest share (21).[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") LCD has 79 of the 80 [constituency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituency)-based seats.[\[19\]](page/3/#ref-19 "note 19")[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") While its elected members participate in the National Assembly, BNP has launched legal challenges to the elections, including a recount.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") On 30 August 2014, an alleged abortive military "coup" took place, forcing the Prime Minister [Thomas Thabane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Thabane) to flee to South Africa for three days.[\[20\]](page/3/#ref-20 "note 20")[\[21\]](page/3/#ref-21 "note 21")[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") On 19 May 2020, Thomas Thabane formally stepped down as prime minister of Lesotho following months of pressure after he was named as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife.[\[22\]](page/3/#ref-22 "note 22")[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") [Moeketsi Majoro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeketsi_Majoro), the economist and former Minister of Development Planning, was elected as Thabane's successor.[\[23\]](page/3/#ref-23 "note 23")[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") On 13 May 2020, according to the health ministry, Lesotho became the last African nation to report a [COVID-19 case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Lesotho).[\[24\]](page/3/#ref-24 "note 24")[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") On 28 October 2022, [Sam Matekane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Matekane) was sworn in as Lesotho's new Prime Minister after forming a new coalition government.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") His [Revolution for Prosperity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_for_Prosperity) (RFP) party, formed earlier same year, won the 7 October [elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Lesotho_general_election).[\[25\]](page/3/#ref-25 "note 25")[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2025, Lesotho has been impacted by the [Liberation Day tariffs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Day_tariffs) imposed by the United States.[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") Since Lesotho has relied on textile exports to the US, the impact of the tariff shock was immediate.[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") Within weeks, orders were canceled, factories closed, and thousands of people laid off.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") The government of Lesotho declared a state of economic emergency.[\[26\]](page/3/#ref-26 "note 26")[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") Particularly affected were women, who make up the majority of workers in the textile industry.[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") Related sectors such as transportation, hospitality, and housing rental also suffer massively from the downturn.[\[27\]](page/3/#ref-27 "note 27")[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") On 1 August 2025, the tariff was reduced to 15 percent.[\[28\]](page/3/#ref-28 "note 28")[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/page/3/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Lesotho/page/2/) - ↑ back to [English Wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/)