Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 March 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, congratulates the newly appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, H.E. Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili, for assuming his new responsibilities on Tuesday, 17 March 2015. The Chairperson applauds the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho for the peaceful, transparent and credible polls, as well as the coalition parties for forming the Government following the conclusion of National Assembly Elections held on 28 February 2015.

The Chairperson encourages the new coalition Government and all Lesotho political leaders to draw lessons from the recommendations made by the AU Election Observer Mission. She urges them to embark on needed reforms to ensure sustained political stability through, among others, constitutional, security and public sector reforms.

The Chairperson expresses her gratitude to H.E. the Right Honourable Raila Odinga, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, for heading the AU Election Observer Mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Specifically, the Chairperson wishes to thank the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the crucial role it played in facilitating political dialogue and agreements among Lesotho parties, that led to the election. She also appreciates the role of AU Member States and international partners for their contribution toward political stability in Lesotho after the event of August 2014 that led to the prorogation of parliament and the scheduling of snap elections.

Jacob Enoh Eben
Spokesperson of the Chairperson,
African Union Commission