At stake in this election:

• 80 seats in the National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King LETSIE III
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE
• Assembly: Lesotho has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 33 seats and the National Assembly with 80 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is hereditary N/A.
• In the Senate 33 members are appointed *. In the National Assembly 80 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

* In the Senate, 22 members are appointed principal chiefs and 11 members are appointed by the ruling party.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD)
  • Leader: Pakalitha MOSISILI
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 78
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 0
• Party: Basotho National Party (BNP)
  • Leader: Evaristus SEKHONYANA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 1
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 0
• Party: Basutoland Congress Party (BCP)
  • Leader: Molapo QHOBELA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 0
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 65

Last Parliamentary election:

• Elections to the National Assembly were last held on March 27, 1993.
  65 seats were decided on in the last election to the National Assembly.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,821,632 (1998)
• Registered Voters: 837,610 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 935,439 (1998)

·         Is Lesotho a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Lesotho ratified CEDAW: Yes (22 August 1995)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 3 (following the 1998 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 161 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Lesotho  a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Lesotho ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (2 December 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 273,244 (est.)