ns: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4

Judicial branch:

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts;
customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC
[Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo
RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA];
Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA];
Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for
Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho
Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP
[Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO];
National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho
Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy
or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla
NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Thabang
MATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,
NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia
MOHOBANE
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert NOLAN
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116

Flag description:

three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the
proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and
prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black
Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was
unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

Economy