Share

Lesotho PM to reconvene parliament

Maseru - Lesotho's prime minister on Thursday announced plans to reconvene parliament, which he had suspended in June, as he scrambled to ease the crisis engulfing his country following the weekend's botched coup.

In his first radio address since returning home from four days of exile in South Africa, premier Tom Thabane said he would recall parliament on 19 September, subject to the king's approval.

"The coalition parties will meet with His Majesty King Letsie III on Friday following which I shall ensure that parliament is re-opened by 19th September," said Thabane.

Thabane had enraged his political opponents by suspending parliament in order to avoid a vote of no confidence.

There is now widespread speculation that he is likely to dissolve parliament again on the same day he reconvenes it, in a new bid to dodge a "no confidence" vote against him.

Earlier on Thursday, the deputy prime minister, Mothejoa Metsing, refused to be drawn on the possibility of a confidence motion being raised against Thabane when parliament reconvenes.

"I cannot guarantee that the motion will not pass as I am not responsible for what MP's want," he said.

Metsing, of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party that shares power in the fractious coalition with Thabane's All Basotho Convention, has been accused of being the brains behind the weekend attempted coup.

As part of a deal brokered by mediators from the southern African regional bloc SADC, parties in the fragile coalition agreed on re-starting parliament.

Coalition still stands

During their two years of power-sharing, Thabane's coalition partners had progressively accused him of being aloof and making unilateral decisions.

In the radio interview on Thursday, the premier tried to assure the nation that the governing coalition still stood and expressed the hope its members could resolve their differences.

Thabane had planned to make a televised address to the nation, but one of his aides said he had been prevented from doing so by the Communications Minister Kompi Mochoboroane, also a member of LCD party.

"The minister ... has instructed that he [prime minister] not be allowed to air the statement," a state house aide who asked not be named.

The army denied staging a coup last week. It said it had acted to disarm the police, alleging they had planned to pass an assortment of weapons to unspecified political radicals.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 180 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 262 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.8%
Rand - Pound
24.04
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.56
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
899.20
+0.3%
Palladium
999.25
-0.3%
Gold
2,209.51
+0.7%
Silver
24.55
-0.4%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,080
+0.6%
All Share
74,278
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,967
+2.4%
Industrial 25
103,572
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,456
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE