Elections were scheduled for May 23, 1998. Opinion was
divided on the fairness of the elections which gave the
Lesotho Congress for Democracy 60.72% of the vote and
entitled it to 78 of the 80 seats in the National
Assembly. On May 29th, Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili, the
leader of the LCD, was sworn in as Prime Minister.
In August there were renewed protests over the election
results and the Prime Minister appointed a group of
experts from South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, known
as the Langa Commission, to investigate the claims of
electoral fraud. On August 26th, the group recommended
a recount. But the protest did not end, and on
September 22nd Prime Minister Mosisili called for an
intervention by South African troops; but they were
unable to restore order. On September 29, 1998, King
Letsie III and President Mandela met in Cape Town to
find a solution.
A peace agreement was hammered out in early October. It
called for the creation of a temporary or transitional
entity. The required legislation was introduced in the
National Assembly on October 28, 1998. As part of the
peace process, an interim authority was formed on
December 9, 1998 consisting of 24 members who were to
represent from all parties. Its immediate task was to
create conditions which would make it possible to
conduct free and fair elections
_______________________________________________________
____________________
LESOTHO
Government Gazette
EXTRAORDINARY
Vol. XXXVIII Tuesday—16th March, 1993 No. 35