PREPARATIONS OF INAUGURATION CEREMONY IN LESOTHO HAVE REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE

Pretoria -Thursday 15th June, 2017
Zambian Mission in Pretoria, South Africa, has confirmed that preparations for the inauguration ceremony of Lesotho’s Prime Minister- Elect Dr Motsoahae Thomas Thabane have reached an advanced stage.
Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, with extra accreditation to Lesotho and Madagascar ,His Excellency Emmanuel Mwamba confirmed that the ceremony which is expected to be attended by Zambian President H:E Edgar Chagwa Lungu will be held at the Setsotso stadium in the capital city of Maseru.
President Lungu, who is expected to be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba and other Government officials, will be among several Heads of States from the SADC region.
The ceremony follows a snap successful election which was declared as credible, free and fair by several Observer Missions.
Among the observers was Zambia’s former President Rupiah Banda who was leading observers from Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy (EISA), Former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano leading observers from the African Union (AU)
Other observer Mission leaders were Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Augustin Mahiga (Southern African Development Community (SADC)), and Ms. Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba (Commonwealth Observer Mission)
After the elections that were held on Saturday 3rd June 2017, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declared the All Basotho Convention party (ABC) led by former Prime Minister, Dr. Thomas Thabane, to have won the majority seats totalling 48 out of the 120 seats in the National Assembly.

However, to form government, a party requires a minimum of 61 majority seats.
Dr. Thabane has since marshaled a coalition of parties comprising three other parties securing a total of 63 seats in the National Assembly.

Mrs Naomi Nyawali
First Secretary Press and Public Relations.
Zambia High Commission
Pretoria
South Africa.
Email : kayulachulu@yahoo.com
Tell +27(0)12326-1847/97
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