“The threat of future political instability in Lesotho can only be removed if a concerted effort is made by both internal and external political actors to understand the need for a change in this country’s political culture. Given the political climate over the past year or so, this task could be almost impossible to achieve in the short term, because the run-up to the election has been marked by continued feuding within as well as between the leading parties. Personal exchanges of a virulent and public nature have been the stock-in-trade of leading members of the Lesotho political class since the resumption of democratic competition. This trend shows no signs of abating. Until the cycle is broken, a return to the past undemocratic dispensation that prevailed in Lesotho is not impossible. Such a turn of events will reverse the progress towards good governance and democracy that have been achieved to date.”
