Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane. File Photo: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane steps down – reports

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane has reportedly given in to pressure and resigned his post as leader of the landlocked kingdom.

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane. File Photo: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane has reportedly stepped down as the leader of the mountain kingdom.

Thabane addressed his Ha Abia constituency on Monday 18 May and revealed he would be stepping down as Prime Minister but not as leader of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party.

“I decided to personally come and inform you that I am stepping down as prime minister of Lesotho,” he told supporters in his home constituency on the outskirts of Maseru.

“It is rather difficult to part ways with something that you had been accustomed to and leave people behind, but we all have to leave at some point.

Prime Minister Tom Thabane ends his resistance and resigns

Lesotho’s Democratic Congress (DC) deputy leader Motlalentoa Letsosa confirmed the nomination of Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro as the new prime minister had been put to the national council.

The ABC party and the Democratic Congress are forming a new coalition government in Lesotho.

Thabane had been expected to resign by the end of the week but he appeared to be defying the wishes of the new coalition.

Lesotho awaits

Lesotho’s National Council was scheduled to meet on Monday 18 May with the country awaiting an announcement from either Thabane or the King Letsie III.

Thabane’s position was thrown into doubt when he was accused of playing a role in the murder of his ex-wife with Police indicating that they intended to charge the ABC Party leader as an accomplice.

The Lesotho statesman’s current wife Maesaiah Thabane has been charged with murder with police asserting that she hired assassins to murder Lipolelo Thabane.

Attorney general of Lesotho Haae Phoofolo, who is also a member of the national council, recently advised that removing Thabane without him resigning would be unconstitutional.

The announcement is not any form of official notice from Thabane which has sparked fears that he could stretch out his departure from office even further. He has on numerous occasions in the past few months indicated that his resignations was imminent.

The 80-year-old who has served as Prime Minister of Lesotho since 2017, is in his second spell in charge of the country. He was Prime Minister from 2012 to 2015 as well.

Thabane’s ex-wife was shot dead outside her home two days before he was sworn into office for his second term.

We await official confirmation that Thabane has stepped down as the Prime Minister of Lesotho.

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