Motsamai, Dimpho2019-09-252019-09-252015-08-042015-041026-0404http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/224663"The Kingdom of Lesotho stands at a crossroads. After an attempted coup in August 2014, Parliament was prorogued and elections were brought forward by two years. Lesotho citizens went to the polls on 28 February, but it is unlikely that the outcome of the election – a coalition led by the Democratic Congress – will solve the cyclical and structural shortcomings of the country’s politics. Parties split and splinter; violence breaks out both before and after polls; consensus is non-existent, even among coalition partners, and manoeuvring for position trumps governing for the good of the country. SADC’s ‘Track One’ mediation has had some success but it will take political commitment, currently lacking, to set Lesotho on a sustainable political and developmental path."engWith permission of the license/copyright holderinstabilityelectionpeaceviolencecoalitioninterestmediationPolitical ethicsEthics of political systemsEthics of lawRights based legal ethicsPeace ethicsGovernance and ethicsPreprint