Shamirah Abdallah (Correspondent)
On the 3rd of June, 2017, there were general elections in Lesotho. The Basotho people headed to different polling stations to elect a new governing body.
The contest is described as “the two horse race” for a reason that the people of Lesotho will have to choose between the old rivals, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and the Former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.
The two candidates have been political rivals for a long time now, and have been losing to each other on different occasions.
The election was done to vote for all the 120 seats of the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the parliament.
“Whoever rejects the National elections’ results, will be going against the objectives of the Southern African Development Community,” said the Former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, in an interview with the journalists, after casting his vote.
Thabane emphasized that, he would accept any outcome, reason being that the Independent Electoral Commission played its role and set up incredible processes. He also said that, it was up to the political leaders to behave.
“My expectations will be that the elections will be free, fair and peaceful and that the best man or woman will win,” said Thabane.
“I truly believe in the democratic norm. If I lose, I will hand over to whoever has debated me. And if I win, I expect him to do the same,” he added.
Sources described that, Thabane’s campaign was the most funded one among the rest. He had a fleet of branded vehicles, used to transport him and his campaign team throughout the course.
However, there is a fear that Thabane’s victory might result into handing power over to the controversial Gupta family that allegedly funded his election campaign.
“What a lot of Basotho don’t know is that, in celebrating Thabane’s win, they will ultimately be celebrating a win for the Guptas. They are funding him,” said a senior diplomat.
The Guptas were special advisers to the Prime Minister of Lesotho Mosisili that were kicked out of the country for passport related allegations, in June 2015.
The coalition government under Mosisili always had it as part of their plan to end Gupta’s hold on Lesotho.
The only party that came close to matching Thabane, is the newly formed Movement for Economic change, led by the youngest of the four candidates, Selibe Mochoboroane, a 39 years old.
Thabane vowed to make Lesotho ‘a beacon of hope’ before he retires.
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