(1) The College of Chiefs may at any time designate, in
accordance with the customary law of Lesotho, the
person (or the persons, in order of prior right) who
are entitled to succeed to the office of King upon the
death of the holder of, or the occurrence of any
vacancy in, that office and if on such death or
vacancy, there is a person who has previously been
designated in pursuance of this section and who is
capable
under
the
customary
law
of
Lesotho
of
succeeding to that office, that person (or, if there is
more than one such person, that one of them who has
been designated as having the first right to succeed to
the office) shall become King.
(2) If, on the death of the holder of, or the
occurrence of any vacancy in, the office of King, there
is no person who becomes King under subsection (1), the
College of Chiefs shall, with all practical speed and
in accordance with the customary law of Lesotho,
proceed to designate a person to succeed to the office
of King and the person so designated shall thereupon
become King.
(3) Whenever the holder of the office of King or a
Regent—
(a) has occasion to be absent from Lesotho for a period
which the College of Chiefs has reason to believe will
be of short duration; or
(b) is suffering from an illness which the College of
Chiefs has reason to believe will be of short duration,
the College of Chiefs may for the time being designate
a person, in accordance with the customary law of
Lesotho, to exercise the functions of the office of
King, and any person for the time being so designated
may exercise all the functions of the office of King