Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE leadership tussle in the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) is so intense that it might trigger another split that would further weaken the beleaguered party.
The power battle is allegedly between leader Mothetjoa Metsing and secretary general Teboho Sekata. Party insiders say they fear that the history of the party’s splits is about to repeat itself. The LCD arguably holds the dubious record of having sired the highest number of political parties through splits.
The party has had five splits since 1997 when it broke away from the Basotho Congress Party (BCP) and instantly became the ruling party after winning the disputed 1998 election with 79 of the 80 seats and 359 764 votes.
Each split has whittled down the party’s support. When former deputy leader Kelebone Maope left to form the Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC), the LCD’s votes dropped to 304 316 votes which translated to 77 of the 120 seats.
The LPC won one constituency and got 27 proportional representation seats for its 32 046 votes. That decline continued in the 2007 election when the party won 62 of the 120 seats.
Tom Thabane defected to form the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006. The LCD won 225 098 votes while the ABC garnered 125 880 to get 17 seats in the 2007 elections. These dwindling numbers were before Metsing could lead the party.
Before the 2012 general election, the party split again with incumbent Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili forming the Democratic Congress (DC), leaving Metsing to take over the party leadership.
The LCD got 121 076 votes (21.94 percent) and 26 seats, having won only one constituency – Metsing’s Mahobong constituency. Mosisili’s DC won 218 366 voters and 48 seats. However, the LCD entered into a coalition government with the ABC and the Basotho National Party (BNP), thus making the DC the opposition.
In December 2014 the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) was formed as a breakaway from the LCD and in the following year was voted by 6 731 people who could have voted for the LCD.
The RCL got two proportional representation seats. The LCD’s voters had further dwindled to 56 467, which was a measly 9.91 percent of the total vote, and got only 12 seats after Metsing again won his Mahobong constituency.
The LCD again entered into another coalition government with the DC and five other smaller parties. In 2017, the LCD was voted for by 52 052 people translating to 8.95 percent of the total vote, giving the party only three seats including Metsing’s Mahobong constituency.
At the time, the LCD had suffered yet another split that saw then secretary general Selibe Mochoboroane defecting to form the Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
The MEC was voted for by 29 420 people who could have voted for the LCD. The MEC got six seats including Mochoboroane’s Thabana-Morena constituency. The LCD became an opposition party for the first time since its establishment.
In October this year Metsing lost his constituency and the party got voted for by 12 174 people, giving him only three seats. The party is supporting the government and its member of the NEC, Sehloho Monatsi, has been appointed to the Senate.
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