Red Flags Ahead of Lesotho's September 2022 Elections

Lesotho's parliament is accused of dragging its feet over crucial reforms that must be voted into law, ahead of the all-important September 2022 general elections. The reforms are the culmination of steps taken after the country's 2014 political crisis, which involved national dialogue supported by the international community and mediation by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Agreement has now largely been reached over the bill's contents, designed to bring some order to a political landscape fraught with instability. The bill was expected to be passed by the end of 2021, but political bickering and continued infighting in the ruling All Basotho Convention are allegedly stalling the process. Another factor is uncertainty over the position of former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Mothetjoa Metsing, accused of participating in the 2014 attempted coup.

Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro took office in May 2020 when Thomas Thabane was forced to step down following allegations that he murdered his estranged wife in 2017. Lesotho has experienced chronic instability over the years and all the governments between 2012 and 2020 have failed to go the distance.