The Government of Lesotho - CountriesPedia

Lesotho - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Lesotho, it was the name translates as "Land of the Sesotho Speakers". The Government system in this country is the parliamentary constitutional monarchy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

National symbols

Mokorotio (Basotho hat); national colors: blue, white, green, black.

The flag

The National flag of Lesotho has three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black mokorotlo, a traditional Basotho straw hat and national symbol; the redesigned flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence.

The National Anthem

Title	"Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
Lyric/music	Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR

note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

More about the government of Lesotho

Constitution
Date of Independence	4 October 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday	Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Legal system	mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version)
Amendments	Proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king; passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2011
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	yes
Citizenship by descent only	yes
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996)
Head of government	Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE (28 October 2022)
Cabinet	consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 18 other ministers; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the National Assembly
Elections/appointments	the monarchy is hereditary, but under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law, the College of Chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile
Legislative branch
Description	Bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (33 seats; 22 principal chiefs and 11 other senators nominated by the king with the advice of the Council of State, a 13-member body of key government and non-government officials; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 elected through proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections	Senate - last appointed by the king in November 2022 (next to be appointed 2028) National Assembly - last held on 7 October 2022 (next to be held in February 2028)
Election results	Senate - percent of votes by party - NA, seats by party - NA; composition - men 25, women 8, percentage women 24.2% National Assembly - percent of votes by party - RFP 38.9%, DC 24.7%, ABC 7.1%, BAP 5.4%, AD 4.0%, MEC 3.2%, LCD 2.3%, SR 2.1%, BNP 1.4%, PFD 0.9%, BCM 0.8%, MPS 0.8%, MIP 0.7%; seats by party - RFP 56, DC 29, ABC 8, BAP 6, AD 5, MEC 4, LCD 3, SR 2, BNP 1, PFD 1, BCM 1, MPS 1, NIP 1, HOPE 1, TBD 1; composition - men 90, women 30, percentage 25%; note - total Parliament percentage women 24.8%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, such number of justices of appeal as set by Parliament, and the Chief Justice and the puisne judges of the High Court ex officio); High Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of puisne judges as set by Parliament); note - both the Court of Appeal and the High Court have jurisdiction in constitutional issues
Judge selection and term of office	Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch; judges of both courts can serve until age 75
Subordinate courts	Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; military courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Tumisang MOSOTHO (since 16 September 2022)
Chancery	2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 797-5533
FAX	[1] (202) 234-6815
Email address and website	[email protected] https://www.gov.ls/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Maria E. BREWER (since 10 March 2022)
Embassy	254 Kingsway Avenue, Maseru
Mailing address	2340 Maseru Place, Washington DC 20521-2340
Telephone	[266] 22312666
FAX	[266] 22310116
Email address and website	[email protected] https://ls.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Maloti-Drakensberg Park