LESOTHO REMAINS DIVIDED AFTER ELECTION
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — The southern African mountain kingdom of Lesotho appears headed for a new coalition government after an election that analysts said failed to heal deep divisions that surfaced in a failed coup in August.
The first move of the new coalition leader, Pakalitha Mosisili, was a case in point: an announcement that he would reappoint the military commander who launched the coup attempt.
His move suggested that the military and police, which were aligned with rival political forces last year, will be as politicized as ever, a factor that could prolong the country’s instability.
Also, no party won power outright, leading to furious horse-trading as rivals jostled to form a government.
Mosisili cobbled together a coalition of seven parties, including his Democratic Congress, giving him a thin 65-seat majority in the 120seat Parliament and earning him the right to govern.
His party won 47 seats in Saturday’s election, just one more than the All Basotho Convention of his main rival, outgoing Prime Minister Tom Thabane, who had appeared certain of victory.
Thabane recently vowed to punish those responsible for the coup attempt.
The new coalition needed at least 61 seats to govern, and its slim majority underscores the political fragility of the kingdom, which is surrounded by South Africa.
The Democratic Congress’ chief coalition partner is the Lesotho Congress for Democracy, led by Mothetjoa Metsing, who was deputy prime minister until a falling-out last year after Thabane ordered a corruption investigation of Metsing.
The fault line between the military, which is loyal to Metsing, and police, loyal to Thabane, played out in the coup attempt that followed. Thabane fled to South Africa for several weeks after the army, under the command of Lt. Gen. Tlali Kamoli, surrounded his residence, attacked police stations and shut down the government television station.
Under a deal forged by South Africa last year, Kamoli had to leave the country, but Mosisili said Wednesday that Kamoli will return as commander.
The main threat to the country’s fragile democracy remains the rivalry and destabilization in the security forces and civil service.
“Those divides have not been bridged and the tension has not been negotiated,” said political analyst Tsoeu Petlane of the Transformation Resource Center, a nongovernmental organization that promotes peace and democracy.