Lesotho Goes To The Polls

Voters in the tiny southern African Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho have gone to the polls in what will be a closely contested election. Former foreign minister Tom Thabane represents a new party, the All Besotho Congress, which poses a serious challenge to the nine-year reign of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili's Lesotho Congress for Democracy. Mosisili has demanded a third term to tackle dire poverty. Lesotho is both one of Africa's poorest countries as well as one of its most AIDS-ravaged.

In 1998 election tumult provided the justification for South African troops to enter Lesotho (along with support from Botswana's military). It is unlikely that the South Africans will follow suit this time around, but this election's results may not be known for some time, and with each passing day the possibility for violence will accelerate.