Lesotho’s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has lost a confidence vote in Parliament and may call a snap election.
A slew of defections by ruling-coalition lawmakers to the opposition has badly weakened support for Mosisili in parliament two years after he came to power after an inconclusive vote.
“The prime minister is not going to prevail against this motion because his party has suffered the defection of about half of its MPs to the opposition,” Mosisili’s political adviser Fako Likoti said by telephone earlier.
“He is ready to call for elections tomorrow, and is confident he can win because he has grassroots support.”
Lesotho’s economy relies heavily on textile revenues, regional customs receipts and water piped to South Africa, making it out strategic importance to Pretoria, which has acted as a mediator during previous bouts of political turmoil.
A debate on the motion of no confidence started on Wednesday and will be followed by a vote in the 120-member assembly later in the week.
Two years ago, Mosisili’s Democratic Congress (DC) ousted former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s All Basotho Congress (ABC) by uniting with smaller parties. Now it is Thabane’s ABC that will lead a coalition of opposition parties including the Alliance of Democrats (AD) party in an effort to remove Mosisili.
– By REUTERS
