Chapter three: Democracy and good political governance BNP’s unwillingness to accept the results of the 1970 general elections and in its decision not to hand over power to the BCP. Facing imminent defeat, the ruling BNP interrupted the elections, annulled the electoral results and declared itself the legitimate government. The party’s pretext was that the electoral process had been characterised by intimidation and that there was a threat to national security from the forces of communism. The prime minister suspended the constitution, exiled the king and suspended the judiciary. A five-year moratorium was declared on political activity and 23 years would pass before a multiparty system would be restored. 98. The BCP, which had apparently won the elections, was thus sidelined, but organised clandestine resistance to overthrow the government. Its underground military wing, known as the Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA), organised an armed insurgency against the one-party regime from the 1970s to the 1980s. 99. During this time, Lesotho became victim to the Cold War and the political and economic designs of apartheid South Africa. South Africa was particularly concerned that Lesotho appeared to support the African National Congress (ANC), which was fighting for majority black rule and the destruction of the minority racist regime. It was also proposing the formation of a Constellation of Southern African States (CONSAS) that would be created from a forced unification of the black homelands and the satellite territories (including Lesotho). Lesotho was subjected to various forms of destabilisation by South Africa. 100. The full scale of South Africa’s might was demonstrated in the remapping of Lesotho’s history. In 1985, the opposition parties boycotted the general elections and the BNP declared itself duly elected. However, the military, with backing from South Africa, overthrew the BNP regime in 1986. Thereafter, the monarchy was reinstated and became a junior partner to the military, which ruled from 1986 to 1993. 101. The country’s current constitutional order was established in 1993 and some significant constitutional amendments have been made since then. The first such amendment was made in 1996 and was designed to provide a legal basis for restructuring the armed forces. A second amendment gave the power to discipline public servants and terminate their contracts to the ministries, while the Public Service Commission (PSC) retained the function of appointment. Another notable amendment, made in 1997, was intended to introduce a reformed local government system that would be based on elected councils. In the same year, yet another amendment was made in order to allow the establishment of an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Further electoral reform was facilitated by a 2001 constitutional amendment designed to bring about the adoption of a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system. 102. There have been four general elections since the re-establishment of a democratic political order: in 1993, 1998, 2002 and 2007. The electoral system has been constantly challenged by the tendency of political parties to dispute electoral results. There have also been frequent party splits, resulting in a proliferation of political parties, which now number 20. 103. The inherent conflict resulting from the political contests, which culminated in bloody riots in 1998, prompted the electoral reforms, and the MMP system was first used in the 2002 elections. The system combines the practices of first past the post (FPTP) and proportional representation 41