(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU – MPs are set to vote in Parliament tomorrow on a motion to topple Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro.
The no-confidence motion is however most likely to fail after the major Political parties in Lesotho indicated last week that they had no appetite to topple Majoro.
The motion was filed by the Basotho Patriotic Party (BPP) leader, Tefo Mapesela, and was seconded by a backbencher for the Alliance of Democrats (AD), Kose Makoa, late last year.
The Clerk of Parliament, Advocate Fine Maema, told thepost last night that“a decision to pass this motion on Friday was reached” at a sitting of parliament's business committee.
Makoa said they are happy that the motion will now be deliberated on in Parliament.
“We filed the motion with the BPP leader Tefo Mapesela, we will state our reasons for having no-confidence in the Prime Minister on Friday,” Makoa said.
The duo said they wanted Majoro to be replaced by Monyane Moleleki as Prime Minister. Moleleki is the AD leader and the official leader of the opposition in Parliament.
“It is because he is the leader of the opposition; that is how it should be,” Makoa said.
Makoa acknowledged the contradictions some All Basotho Convention (ABC) MPs might face in seeking to oust Majoro and replacing him with Moleleki.
He said the ABC faction that does not want Majoro can only succeed if their party withdraws from the coalition government, which will make its newly elected leader Nkaku Kabi the official leader of the opposition.
“In this way Kabi's name can be picked as the best qualified for the prime ministerial position because he would be the official leader of opposition,” he said.
He said Moleleki's name will automatically be dropped.
The ABC should withdraw from the coalition government before Friday if they want Kabi to be Prime Minister, he said.
The no-confidence vote comes a week after Mapesela lost a constitutional case to force Speaker of Parliament Sephiri Motanyane to allow secret ballots in the House, as opposed to the traditional practice of voting openly.
Mapesela filed the motion in Parliament after Majoro fired him as Agriculture Minister last year. He later defected from the ABC and formed his BPP.
The bitter factional fights in the ABC appear to have emboldened Mapesela in his push to oust Majoro.
Until early last year, the ABC had grown the number of its MPs in Parliament from 48 in the 2017 election to 51 through defections.
But those numbers have steadily come down in recent months, leaving the party with 35 MPs.
Nine MPs quit the ABC and joined former deputy leader, Prof Nqosa Mahao, when he formed the Basotho Action Party (BAP).
Three have died while two have defected to the Movement for Economic Change (MEC) and the AD.
Another joined the diplomatic corps.
The remaining 35 MPs are split between two factions led by Majoro and leader Kabi.
However, all the government ministers and deputy ministers are likely to fight in Majoro's corner to preserve the trappings of power, giving him the support of at least 22 MPs from the ABC.
That leaves Kabi with 13 MPs.
The Democratic Congress (DC) has already indicated that it will not back the motion to oust Majoro. The party has 27 MPs in Parliament.
Deputy leader Motlalentoa Letsosa has said the DC does not intend to take sides in the ABC's internal affairs.
The Movement for Economic Change (MEC)'s six MPs, National Independent Party (NIP) and the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD)'s collective six MPs which normally vote with the DC are likely to endorse the party's stance.
The Basotho National Party (BNP) has also said it is not interested in toppling Majoro.
The Basotho-Land Congress Party (BCP) leader, Thulo Mahlakeng, is also fighting in the DC's corner and earlier announced that“Mapesela's no-confidence motion is nonsensical”.
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) with 11 seats has since made its stance clear that all it wants is a government of national unity.
So, it will take a miracle of biblical proportions for Mapesela's motion to triumph.
Like this:Like Loading...
MENAFN23022022000229011070ID1103747994
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.