Lesotho Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro claimed that he has survived “countless attempts” to overthrow his government in a speech commemorating 100 days in charge of the country. He added that these attempts to oust him from the seat of power began “just two days after we took office”.
Majoro, who rose to power on May 20, 2020 after ex-PM Thomas Thabane was forced to resign, expressed his confidence that he would remain in office until the 2022 election. However, this is easier said than done in a country that has been home to multiple collapses of the ruling government from 2012 to 2020.
Former leader Thabane first became president in 2012, but his rule unravelled in 2015 amid fractures between his party, the All Basotho Convention (ABC), and its coalition partner, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). He was replaced by Pakalitha Mosisili, who led a seven-party coalition. However, this venture, too, was short-lived, and fell apart in 2017 following a no-confidence vote in parliament. This paved the way for Thabane’s return to power in a four-party coalition.
Then, in January this year, Thabane was suspended from his own party for allowing his current wife to ‘meddle’ in government affairs, and due to accusations that he killed his former wife in 2017. After this, in April, Majoro, who was the finance minister at the time, took over from Thabane after being unanimously chosen by ABC legislators. Amidst all this, the coalition at the time was disbanded to make way for a new partnership between ABC and the Democratic Congress (DC) party.
Majoro marked 100 days in office on August 27 with DC leader Mathibeli Mokhothu serving as his deputy. However, it has hardly been a peaceful existence, as several ABC members are now expressing their misgivings about Majoro, including legislators like Mokherane Tsatsanyane and Sello Mooki, who have both resigned and joined the opposition Alliance of Democrats (AD) in anger. At the same time, Thabane loyalists who are still within the ABC continue to protest the former leader’s innocence.
Lesotho Times reports that 20 of the MPs opposed to Majoro’s rule are from the ABC, while six are from coalition parties. It is thought that factions within the ABC are disenchanted by Majoro’s decision to exclude party members from his cabinet and fire Thabane-era officials. In addition, allies of Thabane have threatened to “expose” Majoro’s “dirty secrets” if he does drop the murder charges against the former president.
Thus, in his speech, Majoro referred to attempts to “topple” his government as an “everyday issue”. Against this backdrop, the current PM maintains that “fighting Covid-19 is at the center of our agenda”, hailing mass testing efforts, the launch of a tracking app, the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to health workers, and the delivery of wage subsidies to factory workers.
Lesotho PM Alleges “Countless Attempts” to Overthrow Him, Many From Within His Own Party
Moeketsi Majoro said that these attempts to oust him from the seat of power began “just two days after we took office”.
September 10, 2020
Lesotho Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF LESOTHO