African Ministers Draft Lesotho Plan
MASERU, Lesotho — Southern African ministers mediating to end turmoil in this nation said Wednesday night that they had produced a deal for the formation of a transitional committee to work out ways for elections in 18 months.
The ministers from Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, operating under the auspices of the regional Southern African Development Community, said in a statement after extensive talks that the Transitional Executive Committee will be set up by Oct. 31.
It will be composed of the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, Parliament and the opposition.
The committee’s duties will be to promote fair elections, restructure Lesotho’s electoral commission by Dec. 31 and overhaul its inept electoral system by March 31.
Botswanan and South African troops were deployed in September to quell an army mutiny after alleged fraud in May’s elections.
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