Impact of coalitions on stability in Lesotho : how reforms can stabilise the country

Abstract

The advent of coalition politics in 2012 ushered a new dynamic into politics in Lesotho. Since the 2012 National Assembly elections, no political party has won an outright majority, which would allow it to form a government alone. In 2012, the Democratic Congress (DC), the then ruling party led by Pakalitha Mosisili, fell short of attaining an outright majority and could not form a coalition with other political parties. Therefore, the first coalition government in Lesotho was formed by the All-Basotho Convention (ABC) Party, the then second largest party led by Thomas Thabane (the Basotho National Party (BNP)), and the Lesotho Congress Party (LCD). This article looks at the impact of coalitions on the instability of governance in Lesotho and examines whether the national reforms process, which is supported by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has the potential to stabilise the country. It is argued that coalition governments exploit the vulnerabilities of the weak governance institutions. An argument is advanced on the significance of institutional transformation in stabilising the country. The national reforms process is one such opportunity to reconstitute the governance institutions. The article concludes with proposals for policies that would allow for the realisation of the reforms.