Lesotho Congress for Democracy

The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) is a political party in Lesotho.

Not to be confused with Democratic Congress.
Lesotho Congress for Democracy
LeaderMothetjoa Metsing
FounderNtsu Mokhehle
Founded7 June 1997
Split fromBasutoland Congress Party
HeadquartersBonhomme House, Maseru
IdeologyPan-Africanism
Social democracy
Political positionCentre-left
International affiliationSocialist International (Observer)
ColorsBlack, Red, Green
SloganTruth, Justice, Peace
'Nete, Toka, Khotso
National Assembly
3 / 120
Party flag
Website
www.lcd.org.ls/

In 1997, Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle left the Basutoland Congress Party to form with his faction the new Lesotho Congress for Democracy. The new party won the 1998 elections with 60.7% of the popular vote and 79 out of 80 seats. Pakalitha Mosisili became the new party leader and prime minister. At the elections for the National Assembly, 25 May 2002, the party won 54.9% of popular votes and 77 out of 120 seats. In the 17 February 2007 parliamentary election, the party won 62 out of 120 seats.[1]

Major splits from the party occurred in October 2001, when leading LCD members Kelebone Maope and Shakhane Mokhehle left the party to form the Lesotho People's Congress and in October 2006, when Tom Thabane left the party to form the All Basotho Convention. Prior to the Lesotho general election, 2012 the party split again with incumbent Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili forming the Democratic Congress and General Secretary Mothetjoa Metsing taking over the party leadership.[2]

Electoral Performance
Election Proportional Costituency Seats +/- Government
Votes Share Votes Share
1998 359,764 60.57 —
79 / 89
 New Supermajority
2002 304,316 54.89 309,363 57.64
77 / 120
 Decrease 2 Majority
2007 did not contest 225,098 52.47
61 / 120
 Decrease 16 Majority
2012 121,076 21.94 —
26 / 120
 Decrease 35 Coalition
2015 56,467 9.91 —
12 / 120
 Decrease 14 Coalition
2017 52,052 8.95 —
11 / 120
 Decrease 1 Opposition
2022 12,174 2.36 —
3 / 120
 Decrease 8 Opposition

References
  1. "Lesotho: 2007 National Assembly election results", Electoral Institute for Sustainable democracy in Africa (African Democracy Encyclopaedia Project), February, 2007.
  2. Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine


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