Capital: Maseru
Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution: 2 April 1993

Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993 )
cabinet: Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consisting of the Assembly or lower house whose members are chosen by popular election and the Senate or upper house whose members consist of the 22 principal chiefs and 10 other members appointed by the ruling party; election held in March 1993 (first since 1971); all 65 seats in the Assembly were won by the BCP

Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: Basotho National Party (BNP), Evaristus SEKHONYANA; Basutholand Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE; National Independent Party (NIP), A. C. MANYELI; Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Vincent MALEBO; United Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI; Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL), Jacob M. KENA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Teboho KITLELI
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: (202) 234-6815
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karl HOFMANN
embassy: address NA, Maseru
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 312-666
FAX: [266] 310-116

Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner

NOTE: The information regarding Lesotho on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Lesotho Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Lesotho Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.