A Lesotho party led by a diamond magnate, Sam Matekane has won the most seats in last week’s election, but fell short of an overall majority, the election commission said on Monday.
The Democratic Congress party led by Mathibeli Mokhothu came in second securing 29 lawmakers.
The All Basotho Convention party, which led the outgoing government, suffered a sharp drop in support, winning only eight seats.
Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), a party set up only six months ago by a 64-year-old businessman Matekane, won 56 out of 120 seats in parliament, according to final results published by the southern African country’s electoral commission.
Lesotho, which is completely surrounded by South Africa, has been governed for the past decade by a string of coalition governments that have proved fractious and frail, and no premier has served out a full five-year term.
Matekane, who styles himself as a champion of the country’s business community and was considered an outsider in the vote, came close to an outright win but will now have to secure the support of smaller parties to form a government.
The small mountain kingdom ranks among the world’s poorest countries, with more than 30% of its population living on less than $1.90 a day.
