Democracy in Lesotho

Democracy Ratings

Freedom House 2018

Score:

3 out of 7

(where lower scores are more democratic)

Freedom Status:

Partly Free

EIU Democracy Index 2017

Score:

6.64 out of 10

(where higher scores are more democratic)

World Ranking:

=56

Polity IV 2016

Score:

8

(from -10 to 10, where higher scores are more democratic)

Category:

Democracy

Political System

System of Government Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system
Presidential Electoral System First past the post
System of appointment to legislature

Mixed-member proportional representation

Last Legislative Election

2017

Next Legislative Election

2020

Number of Seats in Legislature 120
Female quota, representation in lower house Yes: legislated candidate quotas

Results

Last legislative election (2017)    
Party Votes (%) Seats
All Basotho Convention[a] 40.52 48
Democratic Congress 25.82 30
Lesotho Congress for Democracy 8.95 11
Alliance of Democrats 7.34 9
Movement for Economic Change 5.06 6
Basotho National Party 4.05 5
Popular Front for Democracy 2.27 3
National Independent Party 1.1 1
Reformed Congress of Lesotho 0.69 1
Basutoland Congress Party 0.59 1
Democratic Party of Lesotho 0.48 1
Marematlou Freedom Party 0.47 1
Lesotho People’s Congress 0.41 0
Basotho Democratic National Party 0.31 0
Lesotho Workers’ Party 0.29 0
Baena 0.24 0
Hamore Democratic Party 0.23 0
Lekhotla la Mekhoa le Meetlo 0.18 0
Majalefa Development Movement 0.18 0
True Reconciliation Unity 0.14 0
Basutoland African National Congress 0.12 0
Tsebe Social Democrats 0.07 0
Community Freedom Movement 0.06 0
Basotho Thabeng ea Sinai 0.05 0
Sankatana Social Democracy 0.04 0
All Democratic Cooperation 0.03 0
White Horse Party 0.02 0
African Unity Movement 0.01 0
IND PR 0.01 0

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