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{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Politics of Lesotho}}
'''Politics of Lesotho''' takes place in a framework of a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[constitutional monarchy]], whereby the [[Prime Minister of Lesotho]] is the [[head of government]], and of a  [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[Forms of government|government]] and the two chambers of [[Parliament of Lesotho|Parliament]], the [[Senate of Lesotho|Senate]] and the [[National Assembly of Lesotho|National Assembly]]. The [[Judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature.

==Executive branch==
{{office-table}}
|[[List of kings of Lesotho|King]]
|[[Letsie III of Lesotho|Letsie III]]
|
|7 February 1996
|-
|[[Heads of Government of Lesotho|Prime Minister]]
|[[Sam Matekane]]
|[[Revolution for Prosperity]]
|28 October 2022
|}
The Lesotho Government is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister, [[Sam Matekane]], is head of government and has executive authority. The King serves a largely ceremonial function; he no longer possesses any executive authority and is proscribed from actively participating in political initiatives. According to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch.

==Legislative branch==
[[Parliament of Lesotho|Parliament]] has two [[bicameralism|chambers]]. The [[National Assembly (Lesotho)|National Assembly]] has 120 members, elected for a five-year term, 80 in single-seat [[constituency|constituencies]] and 40 by [[proportional representation]]. The [[Senate of Lesotho|Senate]] has 33 nominated members.

==Political parties and elections==
{{elect|List of political parties in Lesotho|Elections in Lesotho}}

===General elections===
{{main|2022 Lesotho general election}}
{{#section-h:2022 Lesotho general election|Results}}

==Judicial branch==

The constitution provides for an independent hierarchical judicial system. The judiciary is made up of the [[High Court of Lesotho]], the [[Court of Appeal of Lesotho]], magistrate's courts, and traditional (customary) courts which exist predominantly in rural areas. There is no trial by jury; rather, judges make rulings alone, or, in the case of criminal trials, with two other judges as observers. The constitution also protects basic civil liberties, including freedom of speech, association, and the press; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Lesotho.html|title= The Law and Legal Research in Lesotho|publisher= Hauser Global Law School Program|access-date= 5 March 2016}}</ref>

The Court of Appeal is located in Maseru and consists of a President and 6 justices of Appeal.

The High Court has unlimited original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters, as well as appellate jurisdiction from the lower courts and comprises a Chief Justice and other puisne judges. Parallel to the High Court is the Labour Court, which is a specialist court dealing exclusively with industrial and labour matters.

Magistrates Courts are presided over by judicial officers (magistrates) employed as civil servants. They are not courts of record and as such their decisions are not binding on future cases.

The Chief Justice and Justices of the Court of Appeal are appointed by the [[King of Lesotho]] on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of Lesotho]]. Puisne judges of the High Court are appointed by the King on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission. High Court judges may retire any time after attaining the age of 75, but may be removed from office by the King for malfeasance or infirmity.

Until 1970, there was a right of appeal from the [[Court of Appeal of Lesotho]] to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] in London.

Judges in Lesotho are occasionally appointed from other Commonwealth countries, especially from South Africa and the U.K..

;Chief Justices:

Chief Justices of Basutoland;

* 1937-1948 Sir Walter Huggard (British)
* 1950-1952 Sir Walter Harragin (British)
* 1952-1956 Harold Curwen Willan (British)
* 1959-1961 Cox (British)
* 1961-1962 Elyan (British)
* 1962-1965 Watkin Williams (British)
* 1965-1966 Benson (British)

Chief Justices of Lesotho;

* 1966-1968 Johnston
* 1968–1973 [[Hendrik Rudolf Jacobs]] (South African)
* 1974–1975 [[Joas Tseliso Mapetla]]
* 1976–1986 [[Taufik Cotran|Taufik Suliman Cotran]] (afterwards [[Chief Justice of Belize]], 1986)
* 1986–1993 [[Peter Brendan Cullinan]]
* <1994–2002 [[Joseph Lebona Kheola]]
* 2002–2013 [[Mahapela Lehohla]]
** 2004 [[Baptista Molai]] (acting)
** 2013 [[Tseliso Monaphathi]] (acting)
* 2014-2018 [[Nthomeng Majara]]
* 2020-Present [[Sakoane Peter Sakoane]]

==Administrative divisions==
For administrative purposes, Lesotho is divided into 10 districts, each headed by a district secretary and a district military officer appointed by the central government and the RLDF, respectively.
The districts are: Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

==International organization participation==
Lesotho is member of [[ACP countries|ACP]], [[AfDB]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|C]], [[Customs Cooperation Council|CCC]], [[United Nations Economic Commission for Africa|ECA]], [[FAO]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[IBRD]], [[ICAO]], [[International Criminal Court|ICC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[IFRCS]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[IMF]], [[Intelsat]] (nonsignatory user), [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[OPCW]], [[SACU]], [[Southern African Development Community|SADC]], [[United Nations]], [[UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[UNHCR]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[UPU]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[WIPO]], [[WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|UNWTO]] and [[World Trade Organization|WTO]]. It was also member of the [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]] and [[OAU]] before they disbanded.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==Literature==
{{more footnotes|date=September 2015}}
*K. Matlosa [http://www.idea.int/publications/dchs/upload/dchs_vol2_sec3_3.pdf Electoral System Design and Conflict Mitigation: the Case of Lesotho] // Democracy, Conflict and Human Security

{{Lesotho elections}}
{{Africa in topic|Politics of}}
{{Lesotho topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Politics of Lesotho| ]]