Basotho National Party in the context of "Lesotho"

⭐ In the context of Lesotho, the Basotho National Party is considered to have been the ruling political force for how long immediately following the nation’s independence?

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⭐ Core Definition: Basotho National Party

The Basotho National Party is a political party in Lesotho, founded in 1959 in colonial Basutoland as the Basutoland National Party by Leabua Jonathan. He was Prime Minister from the 1965 general election until the 1986 coup d'état.

In the 1993 general election, the BNP received almost 23% of the vote but did not win any seats in the National Assembly, with all 65 seats going to the party's rival, the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP). It suffered a similar defeat in the 1998 general election, in which it won 24.5% of the vote but only one seat in the National Assembly. Due to its lack of success in winning constituencies, the party sought the introduction of proportional representation in deciding the allocation of seats; as a compromise, a mixed system providing for 40 compensatory seats that would be decided through proportional representation (in addition to the 80 constituency seats) was introduced.

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👉 Basotho National Party in the context of Lesotho

Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclaves in the world, the others being San Marino and Vatican City, which are surrounded by Italy. Lesotho is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest peak in Southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km (11,600 sq mi) and has a population of about 2.3 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.

Lesotho was formed in 1824 by King Moshoeshoe I. Continuous encroachments by Dutch settlers made the King enter into an agreement with the United Kingdom to become a protectorate in 1868 and, in 1884, a crown colony. It achieved independence in 1966, and was subsequently ruled by the Basotho National Party (BNP) for two decades. Its constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. King Moshoeshoe II was exiled in 1990 but returned in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. One year later, Moshoeshoe II died and his son Letsie III took the throne, which he still holds.

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Basotho National Party in the context of 1965 Basutoland general election

General elections were held in Basutoland on 29 April 1965. The result was a narrow victory for the Basotholand National Party, which led the country to independence as Lesotho on 4 October the following year. Voter turnout was 63%.

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Basotho National Party in the context of 1993 Lesotho general election

General elections were held in Lesotho between 27 and 29 March 1993, the first full elections since the ruling Basotho National Party annulled the results of the 1970 elections, which they had lost to the Basutoland Congress Party. Of the 736,930 registered voters, 532,678 cast valid votes.

The BCP were victorious in the election, winning all 65 of the seats in the National Assembly. Its leader, Ntsu Mokhehle, became Prime Minister.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Lesotho ← 1965 Basutoland general election ← 1993 Lesotho general election
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Political party → Lesotho → Basutoland → Leabua Jonathan → 1965 Basutoland general election → 1986 Lesotho coup d'état → 1993 Lesotho general election → National Assembly (Lesotho) → Basutoland Congress Party → 1998 Lesotho general election → Proportional representation →