After the general elections on Friday (Oct. 7), the villagers of Thaba Bosiu in rural Lesotho hope that the nation will enter a new era of news.
Over the past ten years, coalitions have ruled the southern African nation; no prime minister has completed a full five-year term.
Insecurity and better life prospects were important election factors for the 1.5 million people who were registered to vote.
“People are getting killed here in Lesotho in big numbers, kids are being harassed and raped, and our old ladies are getting killed in big numbers,” lamented Makamohelo Hlehlisi.
“I want the next government, led by my party, to look into these problems and create jobs for young people, who are currently unemployed. We have too many things on hold “The woman continued.
The economy of the country known as the Kingdom in the Sky is based on small-scale industries, animal husbandry, and subsistence farming.
The World Bank estimates that the percentage of people living in poverty will remain at 36% in 2021 (based on $2.15 per person per day).
Voters could choose candidates from more than 50 different parties to bring about the change they want to see.
The villager Makamohelo Hlehlisi said, “We just want changes; there should be peace around our country, there should be growth, and we should all live together happily.
On Friday, voting ended at 1500 GMT, and counting began shortly after. The announcement of the results is anticipated for next week.
a fragmented legislature
The All Basotho Convention is in charge of the current administration.
Mathibeli Mokhothu, the leader of the Democratic Congress, Lesotho’s second-largest party, and Sam Matekane, a millionaire rumored to be the nation’s richest man who could be a dark horse, according to analysts, were Nkaku Kabi’s (ABC) main rivals.
There isn’t a clear favorite, and observers don’t see much hope for breaking the nation’s protracted political impasse.
A mixed electoral system is used to choose the 120-member parliament; 80 seats are elected directly by constituents, while the remaining 40 are allocated proportionally.
A law prohibiting lawmakers from changing parties during the first three years of their terms was introduced by the outgoing parliament, but it was not passed.
