Parliament of Lesotho, AER Africa, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Key Facts

Head of State: King Letsie III of Lesotho

Joined the Commonwealth: 1966

Capital City (location of Parliament): Maseru

Unicameral/Bicameral: Bicameral, National Assembly (122) and Senate (33)

Further Information:

• Parliament of Lesotho
• IPU National Assembly and Senate
• CPA Country Directory
• CPA Africa Region 
• Commonwealth Secretariat
• UN Data
• BBC Country Profile
• British High Commission Pretoria 
• Lesotho High Commission London

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CPA UK & Lesotho

In 2020 CPA UK and the Parliament of Lesotho launched a parliamentary partnership focused on strengthening parliamentary scrutiny, in particular in relation to parliamentary oversight of security sector reform (SSR) and committee work. The first activity, a virtual programme for clerks and Members of the National Assembly and the Senate, was delivered successfully in October 2020.

Before this, CPA UK facilitated a parliamentary assessment in November 2019, followed by a one-day introductory programme to the Westminster committee system and scrutiny in March 2020.

Delegates from Lesotho had previously attended CPA UK's Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Forum in March 2018. CPA UK further conducted a Post-Election Seminar in Maseru in September 2013.

CPA UK looks forward to further engagement with the Parliament of Lesotho.

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Our Recent Programmes

CPA UK Delegation Visit to Lesotho, 21 May - 23 May 2024

In May 2024 CPA UK was invited to return to the Parliament of Lesotho to engage parliamentarians in ethics and codes of conduct, cross-party collaboration, and committee work. This followed on from the Post Election Seminar CPA UK delivered in 2023. The programme was designed in partnership with the Parliament of Lesotho and a cross-party delegation of three UK parliamentarians and a clerk travelled to Maseru to participate.

Report Writing and Research Skills Workshop for Clerks, Virtual, 8-9 July 2021

This programme brought together clerks, committee specialists , and media officers from six legislatures (Lesotho, Westminster, Isle of Man, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland) to explore good practice in writing committee reports and conducting research. Participants also considered how to effectively employ different channels for publicising reports and other committee work. 

Committee Scrutiny Workshop, Virtual, 10-12 May 2021

CPA UK partnered with the Parliament of Lesotho to deliver a virtual three-day conference on parliamentary committees. Parliamentarians and clerks from the UK and Lesotho Parliaments shared expertise and considered techniques to increase the effectiveness of committee work, including around launching and delivering inquiries, selecting and questioning witnesses, and maintaining committee cohesion.

Parliamentary Procedure & Scrutiny Workshop, Virtual, 26-29 October 2020

This programme was the first of seven activities of CPA UK's Parliamentary Partnership Programme (PPP) with the Parliament of Lesotho to strengthen the skills and capacity of parliamentarians and parliamentary officials in fulfilling their scrutiny roles. Participants from the UK Parliament, the National Assembly, and the Senate explored recent changes to parliamentary procedure, committee work, women's representation, and communications. 

Effective Committees Workshop, Maseru, 5 March 2020

The workshop provided an introduction to the UK Parliament’s committees and their role in supporting Parliament's work on legislation and scrutiny. It looked at what helps to make them effective at holding the government to account. It was attended by over 50 parliamentarians from the National Assembly and the Senate, including committee chairs, members, clerks and parliamentary staff.

Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Forum – Westminster, 26 February 2018 - 1 March 2018

CPA UK hosted the first Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Forum ahead of the UK hosting Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018. The Forum brought together national legislators from across the Commonwealth and set the scene for the CHOGM 2018 theme – ‘Towards a Common Future’. The Parliamentarians' Forum sparked dialogue, engaged parliamentarians in the summit agenda and created opportunities for in-depth cross-Commonwealth discussion. The Forum was an invaluable opportunity to reinforce and reinvigorate the Commonwealth’s aspirations, opportunities, challenges and relevance in the coming years.