The Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party, led by millionaire political novice Sam Matekane, won the most votes in last Friday’s Lesotho parliamentary elections, according to final results released by the electoral commission late Monday.
The RFP secured 56 of the 80 contested parliamentary seats against 29 seats for the Democratic Congress (DC) party led by outgoing deputy prime minister Mathibeli Mokhothu, results from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) showed.
The victorious party was formed in March by Matekane, a diamond magnate, and was not given a chance by most pollsters who predicted that it was going to be a close contest between the All Basotho Congress (ABC) and the DC.
According to Lesotho’s electoral law, the party with the highest number of votes forms the next government.
Lesotho’s national assembly comprises a total of 120 seats, of which 80 are won through the “first-past-the-post” voting.
The remaining 40 seats are allocated using the proportional representation system, under which competing political parties get seats based on their total national votes.
The ABC has governed Lesotho since the last elections in 2017 in a fractious coalition government with DC.
JN/APA