Will a motion of no confidence unseat Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili or will he call for elections.
This is the issue on the minds of many Basotho as they start the new year.
The country’s government is also facing opposition resistance on how it is handling Southern African Development Community (SAD) recommended constitutional and security reforms.
The Democratic Congress (DC) NEC suspended its leader and Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, and Mosisili suspended the NEC and called a special conference to endorse his decision.
Both parties went to court and the high court ruled in favour of Mosisili.
Mosisili says: “The special conference has expelled them from the NEC and elected new members of the NEC and suspended them from the party.”
Meanwhile, Monyane Moleleki of Alliance of Democrats says: “The Alliance of Democrats is a new party that I formed after breaking away from my former party of four years, the Democratic Congress.”
He says his aim is to be part of a grand coalition of national unity. Moleleki has signed a pact with the opposition All Basotho Convention.
“Between us we have 74 seats which is a far cry from the current government which has only has 42. So the plan is to have a change of government.”
But that motion of no confidence needs a vote in a parliament and ten MPs have gone to court to demand it be opened.
However, the court has postponed the case to January 23rd. But if the no confidence vote does happen, the Prime Minister will not take it lying down.
Also expected to attract attention is the constitutional and security reforms that started with an opposition walkout.
But plans for the Reforms Stakeholder Conference are underway .Also NGOs want to change the government’s approach.
Lesotho council of NGOs Seabata Motsamai says: “The process talks about the structure. Do we want the government to be the one convening or do we want an independent convener that will bring everybody together.”
“Government will be one of the stakeholders to play a major role in terms of funding the process.”
– By Nthakoana Ngatan
