Pretoria - The first results in Lesotho's general elections were expected later on Sunday after voting stations closed late Saturday afternoon.
Counting began soon after the closing of voting stations, with Southern African Development Community (SADC) facilitator and SA's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in Lesotho to oversee the counting.
Ramaphosa managed to negotiate a truce between political parties late last year, this following a botched coup attempt late last year.
Amid tight security, Prime Minister and leader of the All Basotho Convention Tom Thabane voted in Ha Abia in the capital Maseru. Lesotho Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy Mothetjoa Metsing joined voters in his home village of Mahobong in Leribe.
Meanwhile, a military aircraft will on Sunday help round up the results by flying them from remote areas to the central counting station in Maseru, according to Mahapela Lehohla, Chairperson of the Lesotho Electoral Commission.
In the run-up to this year’s elections, Prime Minister Thomas Thabane last year suspended parliament to avoid a vote of no-confidence after his coalition government splintered. He fled to South Africa, alleging he was the target of a coup attempt and returned under the protection of South African forces.
Lesotho has little strategic significance, although it is a vital source of highlands water for parched South Africa, which has one of the continent's biggest economies and has been heavily involved in trying to stabilize its small neighbour. SAnews-NNN
