Lesotho
 Key facts
POPULATION (Census 2006): 1,880,661
AREA: 30,355 sq km
CAPITAL: Maseru
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION TO GDP: -
CURRENCY: Lesotho loti (LSL)
HEAD OF STATE: HM King Letsie III
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: constitutional monarchy
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM: bicameral
STATE STRUCTURE: unitary
LANGUAGES: Sesotho (official), English (recognised)
NATIONAL ELECTIONS: last: 2007; turnout: - next: 2012
LOCAL ELECTIONS: last: April 2005; turnout: 46.1%; next: April 2011
Summary
Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with two spheres of government: central and local. The constitution of Lesotho mandates parliament to
establish local government and the main governing legislation is the Local Government Act 1997 and Local Government Elections Act 1998. The Minister of Local Government and Chieftainship is tasked with providing policy direction and support for local authorities. Local government is predominantly two-tier, with district councils as the upper tier and community councils as the lower tier. The capital Maseru has its own unique single-tier authority, the city council. There are in total 128 community councils, ten district councils and one municipal (city) council. Although local authorities are empowered to raise local revenue, the vast majority of their annual income continues to come through central government transfers. Amongst an extensive list of functions, local authorities are responsible for the control of natural resources and environmental protection, public health and water supply, education, agricultural services and the promotion of economic development.
Download full profile of Lesotho (  145K PDF)
|
