Basutoland Congress Party | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1952 |
| Ideology | Pan-Africanism African nationalism African socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
The Basutoland Congress Party is a pan-Africanist and left-wing political party in Lesotho.
The Basutoland African Congress (BAC) was founded in 1952 by Ntsu Mokhehle and Potlako Leballo. The party was renamed the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP) in 1957 and retained this name after independence in 1966, stating that Lesotho was not truly independent. Leballo left the party in 1959 to form the Pan Africanist Congress of South Africa (PAC).
The BCP lost the 1965 election but won in 1970. It was denied power by a coup d'état in support of the defeated prime minister Leabua Jonathan. [1]
In 1974, following an unsuccessful rising, the BCP sent 178 men for military training by the PAC in Gaddafi's Libya. In 1979 they began a guerrilla war as the Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA).
The party won a landslide victory at the 1993 general election, and its leader Ntsu Mokhehle became prime minister. Mokhehle left the party in 1997 with his faction to form the Lesotho Congress for Democracy. The BCP was led by Tseliso Makhakhe, Qhobela Molapo, Ntsukunyane Mphanya and (currently) Thulo Mahlakeng.
At the 25 May 2002 general election, the party won 2.6% of the vote and 3 out of 120 seats. [2]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30 / 80 | ||||
| 1965 | 103,068 | 40.04 | 25 / 60 |  -5 | Opposition |
| 1970 | 152,907 | 49.88 | 36 / 60 |  11 | BNP coup d'état |
| 1985 | Boycotted | ||||
| 1993 | 398,355 | 74.78 | 65 / 65 | Supermajority | |
| 1998 | 62,313 | 10.49 | 0 / 89 | -65 | Extraparliamentary |
| 2002 | 14,584 | 2.63 | 3 / 120 | 3 | Opposition |
| 2007 | 9,823 | 2.22 | 1 / 120 | 2 | Opposition |
| 2012 | 2,531 | 0.46 | 1 / 120 |  | Opposition |
| 2015 | 2,721 | 0.48 | 1 / 120 | | Opposition |
| 2017 | 3,458 | 0.59 | 1 / 120 | | Opposition |
| 2022 | 1,908 | 0.37 | 0 / 120 | 1 | Extraparliamentary |
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The history of people living in the area now known as Lesotho goes back as many as 400 years. The present Lesotho emerged as a single polity under King Moshoeshoe I in 1822. Under Moshoeshoe I, Basotho joined other clans in their struggle against the Lifaqane associated with famine and the reign of Shaka Zulu from 1818 to 1828.
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date is wrong
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The Democratic Congress is a political party in Lesotho that split from the Lesotho Congress for Democracy. It is led by Mathibeli Mokhothu.
The Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA) was a guerrilla movement in Lesotho, formed in the mid-1970s and connected to the anti-Apartheid Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). It was the armed wing of the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), a pan-Africanist and left-wing political party founded in 1952, which opposed the regime of Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan.
The 1970 Lesotho coup d'état was a self-coup that took place in Lesotho on 30 January 1970, led by Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan. It led to the assumption of dictatorial powers by Prime Minister Jonathan, who held the office since 1965. The coup was triggered by the victory of the opposition Basutoland Congress Party over the ruling Basotholand National Party in the general election.
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