Pretoria - In an effort to ease a political crisis that resulted in an attempted coup in August, Lesotho will hold its General Elections in February 2015 and parliament will be reopened in a fortnight.
This was announced on Thursday by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace mediator for Lesotho.
“His Majesty King Letsie III will reconvene parliament on 17 October 2014. The sitting of parliament will be limited to the passing of a budget and all other related matters regarding the holding of elections,” Deputy President Ramaphosa announced at a press conference held in Maseru.
There will be no motion of no confidence or politicians crossing the floor, said the facilitator.
“National general elections will be held towards the end of February 2015 and on a date to be set by His Majesty,” he said.
According to Deputy President Ramaphosa, parliament will be dissolved in December 2014 to prepare for the elections.
All the political parties have agreed to hold elections that were due in 2017 two years earlier as a way to resolve political tensions after an attempted coup and subsequent battles between the army and the police in the small mountain kingdom of southern Africa in August.
On 30 August, the Lesotho Defence Force raided three police stations, as well as the residences of Prime Minister Tom Thabane and newly appointed Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao, and closed down radio stations and telecommunications in what was described by Thabane as an attempted coup.
The Prime Minister fled the country for fear of his life at the time. The action left one senior police officer dead and nine others injured.
Thabane returned to Lesotho under SADC protection shortly after subsequent negotiations in Pretoria. He called on SADC to provide military intervention, but was refused.
As chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security - which is responsible for promoting peace, security and stability in the region - President Jacob Zuma insisted that a political solution should be reached through dialogue.
The organ in its last meeting then appointed Deputy President Ramaphosa as head facilitator for SADC to mediate a peaceful resolution to the current political crisis.
Deputy President Ramaphosa admitted that security was a big concern for SADC after Tuesday's most recent gunfight between members of the army and police in a suburb of Maseru.
However, he believes that the declaration has the capability of taking the country forward.
He called on all political parties represented in parliament to recognise their responsibility to the people of Lesotho, to respect the Constitution, uphold democratic principles and secure the restoration of peace and of political stability and security in the kingdom.
“All the citizens of the Kingdom of Lesotho, including non-governmental organisations, all other role-players, traditional, civic and religious are called upon to support this critical endeavour for the restoration of peace and political stability and security in the Kingdom of Lesotho,” he said.
He also urged the police and the army to work together in the interest of Basotho people.
He added that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is expected to conduct elections on a free and fair basis.
“The SADC will assist the IEC in its efforts to hold credible, free and fair elections.” - SAnews.gov.za
