The Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) is a royalist[2] political party in Lesotho.
Marematlou Freedom Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Moeketse Malebo |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Ideology | Conservatism Royalism[1] |
| National Assembly | 0 / 120 |
History
editThe party was established in December 1962 by a merger of the Freedom Party and the Marema-Tlou Party (MTP).[3] Soon after its formation several members of the Basutoland Congress Party defected to the MFP.[3]
When former MTP leader Seepheephe Matete was replaced as party president by Seth Makotoko he broke away to re-establish the MTP as a separate party.[4] Both contested the 1965 general elections, with the MFP winning four seats with 16.5% of the vote and the MTP no seats with 2.2% of the vote.
In the 1970 general elections the party's vote share fell to 7%, resulting in it being reduced to a single seat.
When multi-party democracy was restored in the 1990s the party contested the 1993 elections, receiving 1.4% of the vote and failing to win a seat. It remained seatless after receiving 1.3% of the vote in the 1998 elections. Despite its vote share falling to 1.2% in the 2002 elections, the party won a seat due to the new proportional electoral system. It retained the single seat in the 2007, 2012 and 2015 elections.
Electoral Performance
edit| Election | Proportional | Constituency | Seats | +/- | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Share | Votes | Share | ||||
| 1965 | 40,414 | 15.70 | — | 4 / 60
|
New | Opposition | |
| 1970 | 22,279 | 7.27 | — | 1 / 60
|
 3
|
BNP coup d'état | |
| 1985 | Did not contest | — | 0 / 60
|
1
|
Extra-parliamentary | ||
| 1993 | 7,650 | 1.44 | — | 0 / 65
|
 0
|
Extra-parliamentary | |
| 1998 | 7,546 | 1.27 | — | 0 / 89
|
0
|
Extra-parliamentary | |
| 2002 | 6,890 | 1.24 | 7,723 | 1.44 | 1 / 120
|
 1
|
Opposition |
| 2007 | 9,129 | 2.06 | 5,106 | 1.19 | 1 / 120
|
0
|
Opposition |
| 2012 | 3,300 | 0.60 | — | 1 / 120
|
0
|
Coalition | |
| 2015 | 3,413 | 0.60 | — | 1 / 120
|
0
|
Opposition | |
| 2017 | 2,761 | 0.47 | — | 1 / 120
|
0
|
Opposition | |
| 2022 | 1,764 | 0.34 | — | 0 / 120
|
1
|
Extra-parliamentary | |
References
edit- ^ https://africaelects.com/lesotho/ Lesotho - Africa Elects
- ^ Ladouceur, P. (1972). Voltaic Political Life - Genèse de la Haute-Volta. Albert Salfo Balima. Ouagadougou: Presses Africaines , [1970]. 253 pp. 750 CFA Frs. - Evolution de la Haute-Volta de 1898 au 3 janvier 1966. Francois Djoby Bassolet. Ouagadougou: Imprimerie Nationale, 1968. 135 PP. 15.40 FF. - Le redressement financier de la République de Haute-Volta. Tiemoko Marc Garango. Ouagadougou: Presses Africaines, 1971. 96 pp. 200 CFA Frs. - Connaissance de la Haute-Volta. Haute-Volta, Ministers Des Finances Et Du Commerce. Ouagadougou et Paris, 1970. 124 pp. 650 CFA Frs. African Studies Review, 15(3), 521-527. doi:10.2307/523392
- ^ a b Scott Rosenberg, Richard F Weisfelder & Michell Frisbie-Fulton (2003) Historical Dictionary of Lesotho, Scarecrow Press, p. 222.
- ^ Rosenberg et al., p. 223.
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