The Lesotho government and civil society are at loggerheads over efforts to reform the constitution introduced by Justice Minister Richard Lamoretsi. (Government of Lesotho)
- The Lesotho government is once again seeking to amend its constitution, a process that began after the 2014 coup attempt.
- But civil society groups say the country needs an entirely new constitution.
- The government is hoping that with support from opposition parties in parliament, the long-awaited reform bill will be enacted.
Lesotho is once again grappling with important constitutional reforms to bring order to the mountainous kingdom's unstable politics, but new hurdles stand in its way. That is, the government and some parts of civil society disagree on how to proceed.
Last week, Minister of Justice and Justice Richard Lamoretsi tabled the long-awaited 10th Amendment to the Constitution and the 11th Amendment to the Constitution, which the government of then Prime Minister Moketsi Majoro failed to pass in the run-up to the 2022 elections.
However, while the government wants to amend the current constitution, some civil society groups want to enact a new constitution.
The Transformation Resource Center (TRC), a legal civil society group, said the bill “dismantles the original content of the Constitution, and therefore requires a sound message to political leaders on the prudent principle of engaging in constitutionally legitimate reform processes.” He accused the government of “continuing to misdirect its advisors and advice.” design”.
The TRC said the government had not learned from past mistakes and “deficiencies and mishaps have resulted in a spate of lawsuits and structural resistance.”
TRC argues that Lesotho cannot afford gradual changes to its constitution.
The government needs opposition support to pass the bill, which has so far proven difficult to achieve.
Regarding this, Ramorezzi told reporters:
Although I cannot say I am confident, I believe that all elected members of Parliament will fulfill their responsibility to respond to the needs of the public, as this bill will facilitate future processes to ensure the delivery of public services. I am. .
He added that passing the bill was important to “make it easier for the government to govern, because it is always difficult to govern without proper legal instruments.”
Background of the reform
In 2014, Lesotho experienced two coup attempts under Prime Minister Tom Thabane, leading to a crisis in the SADC region.
In a last attempt, he fled to South Africa and left the country under the care of his deputy Mosejoa Metsing.
Difficult to maintain peace in the region, SADC pushed for early Lesotho elections scheduled for February 2015.
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Under South Africa's guidance, Lesotho was to develop a roadmap known as 'The Lesotho We Want'.
The project, led by the National Reform Authority (NRA), provided a table for Basotho to participate in the transformation of the Kingdom through a tenacious public debate on reform, national healing, reconciliation and restoring hope.
It was through this process that a constitutional amendment was proposed.
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