Lesotho Government

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy. The government is designed to operate in a parliamentary representative democracy with a multi-party system. The prime minister is the head of government whereas the monarch is the head of state. The legislative powers are vested on the government and the parliament. The executive powers are vested on the executive. The monarch is a symbol of national unity with no executive or legislative powers. The monarch position is hereditary.

In Lesotho, the leader of the party that wins the majority of seat in the National Assembly automatically becomes the prime minister. All Basotho Convention Party garnered the highest number of seats in the last election, giving its leader, Thabane, a direct ticket to serve as the country’s prime minister. The National Assembly is composed of 120 members. 80 members are directly elected to represent their respective constituencies. The remaining forty members are elected on a proportional basis. The members are elected after every five years. The Senate is composed of 33 nominated members.

The official residence of the prime minister is referred to as the State House. It is located in the capital Maseru. The parliament of Lesotho is bicameral. The Senate is the upper house whereas the National Assembly is the lower house. The new parliament building was funded by the Chinese government. The 6720 square meters building is located at Mpilo Mountain, Maseru. The King’s palace is also located in the capital Maseru, at the back of the museum and the magistrate court.

Lesotho has several political parties. Some of them include the Alliance of Congress Parties and the Alliance of Democrats.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Maseru
Languages	Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Ethnic Groups	Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%
Religion	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independance	4 October 1966 (from the UK)
Area	30,355.00 km²
Land Area	30,355.00 km²
Population	1,953,070.00
Location	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
No. Bordering Countries	1
Bordering Countries	South Africa 1,106 km
GDP(PPP)	$6,019,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,100.00 (USD)
Export Commodities	Its main exports are manufactures, wool and mohair, food and live animals, and electrictity.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include food, building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, and petroleum products.
Climate	Temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain	Mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Learn More	Lesotho

Lesotho Government

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