Vote counting is under way in Lesotho after Friday’s general election, and the Lesotho Times reports that the electoral commission expects a final result on Tuesday.
However, early returns from polling stations suggest that the newly-formed Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party, led by Sam Matekane, a millionaire businessman who is the only party leader who has never served in government, is doing surprisingly well.
By Sunday afternoon, the RFP party had secured 41 out of the 80 seats, the minimum required to reach a simple majority.
The RFP counts among its candidates a former chief justice and a former governor of the country’s central bank.
In one of a series of interviews conducted with party leaders, Matekane told the Lesotho Times that a leadership crisis is “at the centre of the challenges that the country is experiencing.” He argued that the RFP offered “a leadership based on merit”.
The current ruling party All Basotho Convention (ABC), which has run the country of 2.14 million people since 2017, was faring badly with no seats won so far, the tally showed.
The Democratic Congress (DC), the main opposition party and member of the coalition government, is running a distant second to the RFP in the race, having secured at least six seats.
A totalled 2,560 candidates from more than 50 parties contested the polls.
Source: Nam News Network