JOHANNESBURG 3 JUNE 2017 - Former Prime Minister of Lesotho Thomas Thabane casts his vote as the citizens goes to the polls on Saturday. Video: eNCA

MASERU – The election in which Lesotho voters cast their ballots on Saturday is expected to lead to another fractious coalition government and the risk of deepening instability.

It is the third general election since 2012 in Lesotho, where years of political in-fighting have undermined attempts to tackle dire poverty and unemployment.

Long queues formed outside polling stations, with many voters wearing traditional Basotho blankets to ward off the winter chill.

The snap election was announced in March when Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili (72) lost a no-confidence vote after his seven-party coalition government broke up less than two years after it was formed.

The vote is seen as a two-horse race between old rivals Mosisili and Thomas Thabane, who ruled from 2012 to 2015, with the victor set to emerge from post-vote negotiations with coalition partners.

Critics accuse the national army of favouring Mosisili, and small numbers of soldiers were seen by AFP near many ballot stations.

Thabane (77) drew large crowds to his campaign rallies and is seen as the narrow favourite.

Protests could break out if Mosisili is defeated and he refuses to concede power "as his attitude and actions suggest he might," said analyst Peter Fabricius of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.

Fabricius said SADC, the Southern African regional body, had made it clear to Mosisili that "it will not tolerate any theft of the election."

In the capital Maseru, Thabane's All Basotho Congress (ABC) and Mosisili's Democratic Congress (DC) party have competed for votes via giant billboards and posters.

"It is not likely that a single party will garner a majority of votes," political analyst Mafa Sejanamane, of the National University of Lesotho, told AFP.

"The urban vote is largely set to go to the ABC. The vote in rural areas is now likely to be shared between the DC and its splinter, the Alliance of Democrats."

The mountainous country suffers high unemployment and a 22.7 percent HIV-AIDS rate in adults, with an economy dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it completely.

Thabane, who was forced to flee to South Africa in 2014 after an attempted coup by the army, said that he would accept the result if he lost.

"Lesotho can only survive if it follows the true democratic system," he told journalists after voting.

At his final rally, Mosisili accused Thabane of fleeing Lesotho to seek foreign protection after "chowing through the public's money."

Augustine Mahiga, the Tanzanian foreign minister heading SADC's observer mission, said voting had been orderly but that the country needed to break its "cycle of elections."

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Letsie III, who has no formal power, and it has a mixed parliamentary system.

Eighty lawmakers are voted in by constituents, while another 40 seats are distributed proportionally.

"Our country is poor and a lot of money has been spent holding these elections. I'm here to vote for a party to put us first -- not politics," said Naledi Metsing, as she voted outside the capital.

"We just voted two years ago and that government did not do much for the people."

Mosisili's DC party is forecast to join forces with the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).

Thabane's ABC party and the Alliance Democrats (AD) of Monyane Moleleki, a former police minister, are also in talks to form a possible coalition government.

Reflecting frustration at the country's politics, voter turnout declined to 46 percent in 2015 from 66 percent in 2002.

The election result is expected next week. </s> Voters in the small southern African kingdom of Lesotho are heading to the polls to elect a new government in the third general election since 2012.

Saturday's poll is seen as a two-horse race between old rivals Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and Thomas Thabane, who ruled from 2012 to 2015.

The winner is set to emerge from post-vote negotiations, yet analysts expect the election to lead to another fractious coalition government and the risk of instability in a country where years of political infighting have undermined attempts to tackle high poverty and unemployment rates.

Voting opened at 7am (05:00 GMT) and closes at 5pm (15:00 GMT), with counting expected to take several days. According to the electoral commission, 1.2 million people have registered to vote.

Long queues formed outside polling stations from early morning despite the winter chill.

Voting has begun in #Lesotho. A few dozen at the Abia voting station.Still early &cold.; 2015 voter turnout was about 47% #LesothoVotes2017 pic.twitter.com/6Nxve3XC4k — Fahmida Miller (@FahmidaMiller) June 3, 2017

Tired of frequent elections, voters are ultimately seeking stability, Al Jazeera's Fahmida Miller, reporting from the capital, Maseru, said.

"It is not a change in the leadership they are looking for necessarily. They want a stable and effective government," Miller said.

"What we have seen in the Lesotho politics in the last few years are constitutional difficulties and political in-fighting that have led to the same two leaders racing for power again."

READ MORE: Election looms as Lesotho PM loses confidence vote

The snap election was announced in March when Mosisili lost a no-confidence vote after his seven-party coalition government broke up less than two years after it was formed.

Mosisili, the 72-year-old leader of the Democratic Congress (DC) party, is running to serve as prime minister for the third time. He was first premier from 1998 to 2012 and returned to power in 2015 after a snap election.

Despite his long years in office, critics accuse him doing little to improve standards of living for the majority of people in the country who languish in poverty, and he is often seen as aloof.

Thabane, the leader of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), was unseated by a coup attempt in 2014, prompting him to flee to South Africa, where he lived in exile for two years. The 77-year-old returned in February, saying he still feared for his life.

He has drawn large crowds to his rallies and is seen as the narrow favourite.

In Maseru, the two leaders have competed for votes via giant billboards and posters.

"There is speculation that perhaps the army may connive with some politicians when the election outcome has been announced; that they should refuse the outcome of the election. That is not immediately foreseeable," political analyst Hoolo Nyane told Al Jazeera.

"What is foreseeable is that if another government, other than this one, manages to win power, it is not going to work smoothly in terms of management."

The mountainous landlocked country suffers high unemployment and a 22.7 percent HIV-AIDS infection rate in adults, with an economy dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it completely.

Constitutional monarchy

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Letsie III, who has no formal power; it has a mixed parliamentary system.

80 members of parliament are voted in by constituents, while another 40 seats are distributed proportionally.

Mosisili's DC party is forecast to join forces with the Lesotho Congress of Democracy (LCD) and the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).

Thabane's ABC party and the Alliance Democrats (AD) of Monyane Moleleki, a former police minister, are also in talks to form a possible coalition government.

Reflecting frustration at the country's politics, voter turnout declined sharply to just 46 percent in 2015 from 66 percent in 2002. </s> Voters in the small southern African kingdom of Lesotho go to polls Saturday in an election widely expected to lead to another fractious coalition government and the risk of deepening instability.

It is the third general election since 2012 in Lesotho, where years of political in-fighting have undermined attempts to tackle dire poverty and unemployment.

The snap election was announced in March when Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili lost a no-confidence vote after his seven-party coalition government broke up less than two years after it was formed.

The vote is seen as a two-horse race between old rivals Mosisili and Thomas Thabane, who ruled from 2012 to 2015, with the victor set to emerge from post-vote negotiations with coalition partners.

Thabane has drawn large crowds to his rallies and is seen as the narrow favourite.

Protests could break out if Mosisili is defeated and he refuses to concede power, "as his attitude and actions suggest he might," said Peter Fabricius of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.

In a research report, Fabricius said the SADC, the southern African regional body, had made it clear to Mosisili that "it will not tolerate any theft of the election."

In the capital of Maseru, Thabane's All Basotho Congress (ABC) and Mosisili's Democratic Congress (DC) party have competed for votes via giant billboards and posters.

"It is not likely that a single party will garner a majority of votes," political analyst Mafa Sejanamane, of the National University of Lesotho, told AFP.

"The urban vote is largely set to go to the ABC. The vote in rural areas is now likely to be shared between the DC and its splinter, the Alliance of Democrats."

The mountainous country suffers high unemployment and a 22.7 percent H.I.V.-AIDS rate in adults, with an economy dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it completely.

"The people in power have let us down, as we have seen with the last government and the one before it," Tefo Mohale, an unemployed 27-year-old, told AFP.

"The next government is going to follow suit, it is difficult to choose who to trust."

According to the electoral commission, 1.2 million people have registered to vote.

Thabane was forced to flee to South Africa in 2014 after an attempted coup by the army.

"It was the most undignified thing that happened to me, to wear (just) my pants... and go through the fence with my wife, running away from the state house," Thabane told AFP on the campaign trail.

At his final rally, Mosisili accused Thabane of escaping to seek foreign protection after "chowing through the public's money."

Critics accuse the army of meddling in politics and favouring Mosisili.

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Letsie III, who has no formal power, and it has a mixed parliamentary system.

Eighty lawmakers are voted in by constituents, while another 40 seats are distributed proportionally.

Mosisili's DC party is forecast to join forces with the Lesotho Congress of Democracy (LCD) and the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).

Thabane's ABC party and the Alliance Democrats (AD) of Monyane Moleleki, a former police minister, are also in talks to form a possible coalition government.

Reflecting frustration at the country's politics, voter turnout declined sharply to just 46 percent in 2015 from 66 percent in 2002.

Voting opens at 0500 GMT and closes at 1500 GMT, with counting expected to take several days. </s> Lesotho's prime minister lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, deepening the political uncertainty in the mountain kingdom ahead of an election likely within three months.

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, of the Democratic Congress (DC) party, has headed a coalition government since a snap election in 2015 that was called in an effort to end Lesotho's prolonged power struggles.

But the coalition has recently fragmented, and parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of replacing Mosisili with Monyane Moleleki, whose Alliance of Democrats party split from the DC last year.

Completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is one of the world's poorest countries and its economy is heavily dependent on its neighbour, to where it exports water and hydroelectric power.

South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc have repeatedly called for peace and political reform in the country.

"The vote of no confidence motion to urge His Majesty King Letsie III to appoint Honourable Monyane Moleleki as the next prime minister has been carried," Speaker Ntlhoi Motsamai told lawmakers after the vote.

Mosisili now has three days to either resign in favour of Moleleki or advise the king to call elections, which would be held within three months.

But Mosisili's political advisor Fako Likoti said the premier would not step aside.

"He will continue to be the prime minister until we go for elections," Likoti told People's Choice FM radio.

Mosisili, who was also prime minister from 1998 to 2012, acknowledged to his supporters last weekend that he had lost lawmakers' support and that he expected an election.

A failed coup attempt in 2014 prompted the prime minister at the time, Thomas Thabane of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), to flee to South Africa, saying he feared for his life.

In 2014, army chief Tlali Kamoli was accused of launching a coup against Thabane when soldiers attacked police headquarters, looted weapons and killed one officer.

And a senior general who was seen as close to Thabane was gunned down by soldiers in June 2015.

But Thabane returned with two other opposition leaders last month vowing to win back power, and was greeted by thousands of supporters at a rally in the capital, Maseru.

Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy, was a British protectorate known as Basutoland before independence in 1966. </s> MASERU, March 1 (Reuters) - Lesotho's Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, is likely to lose a confidence vote in parliament this week and stands ready to call a snap election, according to a senior advisor, as the South African kingdom's economy slows and security deteriorates.

A slew of defections by ruling-coalition lawmakers to the opposition has badly weakened support for Mosisili in parliament two years after he came to power after an inconclusive vote.

"The prime minister is not going to prevail against this motion because his party has suffered the defection of about half of its MPs to the opposition," Mosisili's political adviser Fako Likoti said by telephone.

"He is ready to call for elections tomorrow, and is confident he can win because he has grassroots support."

Lesotho's economy relies heavily on textile revenues, regional customs receipts and water piped to South Africa, making it out strategic importance to Pretoria, which has acted as a mediator during previous bouts of political turmoil.

A debate on the motion of no confidence started on Wednesday and will be followed by a vote in the 120-member assembly later in the week.

Two years ago, Mosisili's Democratic Congress (DC) ousted former prime minister Thomas Thabane's All Basotho Congress (ABC) by uniting with smaller parties. Now it is Thabane's ABC that will lead a coalition of opposition parties including the Alliance of Democrats (AD) party in an effort to remove Mosisili.

In a document announcing their union, the ABC, AD and other parties declared to "rescue Lesotho from the current downward spiral into lawlessness, conflict, political instability, economic stagnation and degradation of democracy" once in power.

Lesotho's law says elections must be held within three months of parliament being dissolved.

The small landlocked country of 2 million people, which has been hit by several coups since independence from Britain in 1966, appears set for a period of political instability, analysts say. It's last two elections have not produced a winner with a clear majority.

"The motion against the prime minister is highly likely to succeed, and his chances of winning the election are up in the air as he would be injured politically," said Holo Nyane, a political sciences lecturer at the National University of Lesotho. (Additional reporting and writing by James Macharia; editing by Richard Lough) </s> SEMONKONG, Lesotho (AP) — People in mountainous Lesotho, some wrapped in blankets to ward off the cold, were voting in national elections on Saturday amid concerns about chronic political instability in the southern African country.

In a typical scene in rural areas, voters lined up outside a polling station in a tent in the central town of Semonkong. Analysts believe the results, which could take days to count, will likely lead to the formation of another fragile governing coalition.

Elections were called after Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, whose coalition took power in 2015, lost a no-confidence vote in parliament in March. Mosisili’s main rival is former ally and predecessor Tom Thabane, who fled to South Africa in 2014, saying soldiers planned to assassinate him as part of a coup attempt.

South Africa, whose territory surrounds Lesotho, has played a leading role in mediating among factions in the nation of two million people. Mediators had recommended the dismissal of the military chief, Lt. Gen. Tlali Kamoli, and Mosisili eventually fired him last year.

The opposition has alleged that the military is sympathetic to Mosisili’s Democratic Congress party and its coalition partners, and hostile to the All Basotho Congress party of Thabane. The military denies any intention to intervene if Mosisili loses the election, the Lesotho Times newspaper reported.

Two dozen political parties are contesting the elections, and 120 parliamentary seats are at stake. It is the third vote in Lesotho since 2012, reflecting instability that critics say has undermined efforts to address problems including unemployment and one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world.

Lesotho is a critical source of water for parched South Africa, and many of its citizens seek employment in mines and other industries there. Lesotho’s king, Letsie III, has a ceremonial role that included calling for Saturday’s elections. </s> MASERU, March 1 (Reuters) - Lesotho's Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili was preparing on Wednesday to call a snap election after losing a confidence vote in parliament, a cabinet minister said.

A slew of defections by ruling-coalition lawmakers to the opposition has badly weakened support for Mosisili in parliament two years after he came to power after an inconclusive vote.

"We will be going to the polls" said Minister of Defense Ts'eliso Mokhosi, referring to the cabinet.

Mosisili's political adviser Fako Likoti had said the prime minister would call elections, although Mosisili himself did not make a public comment after the vote.

Lesotho, a small landlocked country of 2 million people surrounded by South Africa, has been hit by several coups since independence from Britain in 1966.

Analysts said it appears set for a period of political instability. It's last two elections have not produced a winner with a clear majority.

"The period of uncertainty is set to continue," said independent political analyst Ts'oeu Petlane. "Even the next election is likely to give an undecided outcome, which could lead to another shaky coalition."

Lesotho's law says elections must be held within three months of parliament being dissolved.

After a debate on the motion of no confidence, the 120-member assembly voted by acclamation to depose Mosisili.

Two years ago, Mosisili's Democratic Congress (DC) ousted former prime minister Thomas Theban's All Lesotho Congress (ABN) by uniting with smaller parties.

This time around, Theban's ABN led a coalition of opposition parties including the Alliance of Democrats (AD) and the Lesotho National Party (BNP) in a bid to remove Mosisili.

Lesotho's economy relies heavily on textile revenues, regional customs receipts and water piped to South Africa, making it of strategic importance to Pretoria, which has acted as a mediator during previous bouts of political turmoil. (Additional reporting and writing by James Macharia Editing by Jeremy Gaunt) </s> Election officials in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho on Sunday investigated why armed soldiers had been deployed at many polling stations on voting day.

The army has often been accused of interfering in politics in Lesotho, a landlocked African country of two million people that has been hit by attempted coups and instability in recent years.

"The nation, the voters and even the observers were surprised... they felt that some voters were intimidated," Independent Electoral Commission spokesman Tuoe Hantsi told reporters.

"The law dictates who should be at the polling stations, and (the soldiers) caused confusion."

Saturday's election was seen as a two-horse race between old rivals Pakalitha Mosisili and Thomas Thabane, who have both served as prime minister.

Thabane fled an attempted military coup in 2014 when he was in power, and analysts say the army could favour Mosisili winning the vote.

The snap election was called when Prime Minister Mosisili, 72, lost a no-confidence vote in March after his seven-party coalition government broke up.

As vote counting began on Sunday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional body expressed concern over the army's presence.

"We will be seeking an explanation from the army as to why the soldiers were placed at voting stations," said Augustine Mahiga, head of the SADC observer mission.

The results, due out this week, are expected to lead to a coalition government, with Thabane, 77, seen as the narrow favourite to emerge as the winner.

Thabane's All Basotho Congress party and the Alliance Democrats of Monyane Moleleki, a former police minister, have been in talks to form a possible government.

Mosisili's Democratic Congress party could join forces with the Lesotho Congress of Democracy and the Popular Front for Democracy.

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Letsie III, who has no formal power, and it has a mixed parliamentary system.

Saturday's vote was the third general election since 2012 after years of political in-fighting and coalition collapses that have undermined attempts to tackle dire poverty and unemployment.

Lesotho has a 22.7 percent HIV-AIDS rate in adults and an economy dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it completely. </s> Lesotho votes in third election in five years

Voters in the small southern African kingdom of Lesotho cast ballots Saturday in an election expected to lead to another fractious coalition government and the risk of deepening instability.

It is the third general election since 2012 in Lesotho, where years of political in-fighting have undermined attempts to tackle dire poverty and unemployment.

Long queues formed outside polling stations, with many voters wearing traditional Basotho blankets to ward off the winter chill.

The snap election was announced in March when Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, 72, lost a no-confidence vote after his seven-party coalition government broke up less than two years after it was formed.

The vote is seen as a two-horse race between old rivals Mosisili and Thomas Thabane, who ruled from 2012 to 2015, with the victor set to emerge from post-vote negotiations with coalition partners.

Thabane, 77, drew large crowds to his rallies and is seen as the narrow favourite.

Protests could break out if Mosisili is defeated and he refuses to concede power “as his attitude and actions suggest he might,” said Peter Fabricius of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.

Fabricius said SADC, the southern African regional body, had made it clear to Mosisili that “it will not tolerate any theft of the election.”

In the capital Maseru, Thabane’s All Basotho Congress (ABC) and Mosisili’s Democratic Congress (DC) party have competed for votes via giant billboards and posters.

“It is not likely that a single party will garner a majority of votes,” political analyst Mafa Sejanamane, of the National University of Lesotho, told AFP.

“The urban vote is largely set to go to the ABC. The vote in rural areas is now likely to be shared between the DC and its splinter, the Alliance of Democrats.”

The mountainous country suffers high unemployment and a 22.7 percent HIV-AIDS rate in adults, with an economy dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it completely.

“Our country is poor and a lot of money has been spent holding these elections. I’m here to vote for a party to put us first — not politics,” said Naledi Metsing, as she voted outside the capital.

“We just voted two years ago and that government did not do much for the people.”

Augustine Mahiga, Tanzania’s foreign minister who is heading the SADC observer mission, said voting was orderly.

“The cycle of elections in this country is one of the challenges since there has been no completion of the normal five-year term in a long time,” he added.

Thabane was forced to flee to South Africa in 2014 after an attempted coup by the army.

“It was the most undignified thing that happened to me, to wear (just) my pants… and go through the fence with my wife, running away from the state house,” Thabane told AFP on the campaign trail.

At his final rally, Mosisili accused Thabane of escaping to seek foreign protection after “chowing through the public’s money.”

Critics accuse the national army of meddling in politics and of favouring Mosisili.

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Letsie III, who has no formal power, and it has a mixed parliamentary system.Eighty lawmakers are voted in by constituents, while another 40 seats are distributed proportionally.

Mosisili’s DC party is forecast to join forces with the Lesotho Congress of Democracy (LCD) and the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).Thabane’s ABC party and the Alliance Democrats (AD) of Monyane Moleleki, a former police minister, are also in talks to form a possible coalition government.

Reflecting frustration at the country’s politics, voter turnout declined to 46 percent in 2015 from 66 percent in 2002.Voting closes at 1500 GMT, with counting expected to take several days.

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Voters in Lesotho go to the polls for an election, with a tight race predicted between the Democratic Congress, led by current Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, and the All Basotho Convention, led by former prime minister Tom Thabane.