Troubled Lesotho heads into polls

MASERU - Voters in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho will cast their ballots in parliamentary elections on Friday, but hopes are low that the outcome will end the country's long-running political gridlock.

Lesotho 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.

"It is very likely that there will be a coalition again," said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a researcher at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies (ISS), in Pretoria. 

The capital Maseru was quiet on Thursday evening, lulled by taxis humming in the streets and vendors chatting under large umbrellas set on the sides of the main road.

About 1.5 million people are registered to vote, with ballots opening at 7am and closing at 5pm. 

Only 47 percent of registered voters bothered to cast their ballot at the last elections in 2017. 

READ: Unstable Lesotho to hold vote with no clear frontrunner

"I have never voted, and I am not willing to vote," said Dineo Moketsie, a 32-year-old teacher angry at politicians who he said have done nothing to better living conditions in the country. 

"I just feel that it's a waste of time". 

The process can also be cumbersome and queues outside polling stations can sometimes last hours. 

The outgoing government is led by the All Basotho Convention (ABC). But current Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro is not seeking another term, after being ousted as party head earlier this year. 

His predecessor Thomas Thabane was forced to step down in 2020, after being accused of ordering the murder of his estranged wife. Charges against him were dropped in July. 

The ABC's new leader, former health minister Nkaku Kabi, will square off against an array of contenders.

More than 50 parties are in the running.

International observers will monitor the vote. Results are expected next week.