New party wins most seats in Lesotho polls, forms coalition government

HARARE, Zimbabwe

The Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), a political party formed just six months ago by millionaire businessman Sam Matekane, has won most of the parliamentary seats in Lesotho.

The party announced a coalition with two other parties on Tuesday in order to garner a majority.

The RFP garnered 56 out of 120 parliamentary seats and needed a coalition with other parties for a majority rule.

On Tuesday, Matekane announced on Twitter that his party has joined hands with Alliance for Democrats (AD) and Movement for Economic Change (MEC).

"No more speculations. Here are your official partners in the new government, #RFP Revolution for Prosperity #AD Alliance for Democrats #MEC Movement for Economic Change," Matekane’s party said on Twitter.

"We're united with our coalition partners to deliver a better Lesotho. We vow to work diligently, selflessly and tirelessly to achieve the development aspirations of our beloved Nation. We will be faithful to reforms, national plans and dynamic programs that transform our country," a tweet by the MEC announced Tuesday.

The RFP was followed by the Democratic Congress party, with 29 seats and the All Basotho Convention party, of the outgoing government, with eight seats.

Meanwhile, the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) has commended the manner in which the elections were conducted.

“The Mission commends the electoral and political maturity of the People of the Kingdom of Lesotho as well as the successful conduct of the Elections against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a multidimensional geopolitical crisis,” the AUEOM said in a statement.

The Southern African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) commended the peaceful way that elections were held in Lesotho, a country surrounded entirely by South Africa.