OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maseru | Friday 11.00pm.
THE various political players in Lesotho have agreed that new elections will be held in 15 to 18 months, SA Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi said on Friday night. However a sticking point is whether or not Lesotho Prime Minister Pakhalitha Mosisili’s government should remain in power until then.
“These and other outstanding issues will be discussed in further negotiations on Monday,” said Mufamadi, who chaired Friday’s Maseru talks.
Lesotho oppsotition parties reacted angrily to SA Deputy Presidnet Thabo Mbeki’s televised announcement on Friday evening, saying that agreement had not been reached and that Mbeki had “deceived the world”.
Mufamadi said Mbeki had assumed an agreement had been reached because no party had expressly rejected that Mosisili would continue to govern until the new elections. “There is no agreement on this issue. These and other outstanding issues will be discussed on Monday,” Mufamadi told journalists after the 11-hour meeting between goverment and opposition parties.
Mufamadi, reading a joint statement signed by all parties, said a four point agreement had been reached by the parties: To abide by and respect the outcome of the new elections; to restructure and fund the country’s Independent Electoral Commission to ensure it was able to effectively discharge its mandate; that Lesotho’s winner-takes-all electoral system should be reviewed to ensure a greater inclusivity and participation in the political affairs of Lesotho; and to work together to create levels of security and stability that will ensure free and fair elections.