The Kingdom of Lesotho

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small, mountainous country whose political history is marred by violence. The establishment of a democracy during its most recent election is a sign of hope that the country will experience political stability in the future. Optimism is mixed with caution, however, because of Lesotho's location in politically sensitive South Africa.

Geography is one of the factors that helped shape Lesotho's political behavior. Lesotho is the only nation in the world that is completely surrounded by another country--the Republic of South Africa. At times, South Africa has used its geographic advantage to exert political dominance over its tiny neighbor: "South Africa has meddled in Lesotho throughout its history and South Africa's future will shape Lesotho's as well" (Kelso 43.) During the periods when South Africa has imposed economic sanctions on Lesotho, the effects have debilitated the tiny nation's economy.

Lesotho, one of the world's least developed countries, is heavily dependent on South Africa for its economic survival. About 20 percent of Lesotho's domestic needs are imported from South Africa (Africa 479). Approximately 38 percent of Lesotho's adult male labor force is employed in South Africa. More than 100,000 of Lesotho's adult males work in South African mines. Lesotho's economy is dependent on the remittances received from this migrant labor pool, which contributes more than 40 percent of Lesotho's gross national product (GNP). As Sout

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$470 (Griffiths 133). Some rural residents lack access to basic health care. About 30 percent of children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition. The infant mortality rate is 106 deaths per 1,000 births. Population growth is estimated at 2.8 percent a year (Brophy 12). The citizens of Lesotho eagerly participated in its most recent election in March 1993. Almost 750,000 of its population of 1.8 million registered to vote. Of this total, approximately 75,000 expatriate workers registered. In a demonstration of solidarity for Lesotho's efforts to establish a true democracy, South African mining companies and unions allowed their migrant labor force to return home to vote on election day: "The determination of the people of Lesotho to exercise their democratic rights was exemplified by these migrant workers who, in their thousands, travelled long distances--often at considerable personal cost and inconvenience--to participate in the election" (Griffiths 134). The Lesotho and South African governments jointly decided to open the border gates 24 hours a day for a 3-day period to allow returning migrant workers to participate in the election. Others in the international community joined forces to aid in the electoral

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