V.

Government

Under the terms of the constitution of 1965, which was suspended in 1970, Lesotho was a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature. After a coup in 1986, legislative and executive powers were vested in the king but actually exercised by a 6-member military council and a 20-member council of ministers. In 1993 Lesotho adopted a new constitution that redefined the role of the monarchy and altered the legislative branch of the government. The king, who is head of state, has no executive or legislative authority. Executive power is held by the prime minister. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly and is responsible for appointing a cabinet. The National Assembly, the main legislative body, has 120 members who serve five-year terms. Two-thirds of the members are directly elected by universal adult suffrage, and the remainder are elected by proportional representation (in which voters vote for individual parties, and seats are awarded based on the parties’ share of the vote). The 33-member Senate, made up of traditional chiefs and nominated representatives, is an advisory legislative body. Lesotho has ten districts, which are subdivided into wards and administered by hereditary chiefs.