General elections were held in Lesotho on 27 and 28 January 1970, the first since independence in 1966. They were won by the opposition Basutoland Congress Party,[1] but without announcing the results, the ruling Basotho National Party carried out a coup d'état by declaring a state of emergency, annulling the election, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution.[2] King Moshoeshoe II was sent into exile after expressing disapproval of the actions.[2]
Leabua Jonathan then dictated the country until 1986 when a military coup d'état led by Major General Justin Lekhanya deposed him. Lesotho was not returned to democratic rule until the 1993 elections, which were again won by the BCP in a landslide victory.
Results
editOfficial results were never published, but figures were made available by election observers.[3]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | /– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basutoland Congress Party | 152,907 | 49.88 | 36 | 11 | |
| Basotho National Party | 129,434 | 42.23 | 23 | –8 | |
| Marematlou Freedom Party | 22,279 | 7.27 | 1 | –3 | |
| United Democratic Party | 345 | 0.11 | 0 | New | |
| Communist Party of Lesotho | 68 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 1,496 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 306,529 | 100.00 | 60 | 0 | |
| Source: Macartney | |||||
References
edit- ^ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p. 502. ISBN 0-19-829645-2
- ^ a b Lesotho: Authoritarian rule, 1970-1991 EISA
- ^ Nohlen et al., p501
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