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Significance
The investigation and related revelations have ratcheted up pressure on the prime minister, triggering a political crisis in the small, strife-torn nation. This has worsened divisions in the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) and prompted Thabane to announce his planned resignation, albeit without setting a fixed date.
Impacts
Worsening instability will be a further disincentive to investors wary of the country’s frequent institutional upheaval.
Renewed turmoil may undermine efforts to deal with devastating drought, which has left one-quarter of the population facing severe hunger.
Thabane may potentially look to collapse the current coalition and form a new party to contest in fresh polls.
Keywords:
Lesotho,
AF,
Southern Africa,
South Africa,
economy,
industry,
international relations,
politics,
social,
crime,
government,
military,
opposition,
party,
police,
protest,
reform,
regional,
security,
talks
© Oxford Analytica 2020. All rights reserved. This content contains general information about geopolitical, macroeconomic and social developments or (where stated) other matters. It does not contain advice or recommendations that may be relied on. Where links to external websites are provided, this does not indicate that Oxford Analytica or Emerald agree with, endorse or have checked for accuracy the contents of said sites.
2020
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