1991 Lesotho coup d'état

The 1991 Lesotho coup d'état was a military coup that took place in Lesotho on 30 April 1991, led by Colonel Elias Phisoana Ramaema.^[1][2] It led to the resignation of Prime Minister General Justin Lekhanya, who held the office since the 1986 coup d'état.

1991 Lesotho coup d'état

A CIA WFB map of Lesotho
Date	30 April 1991
Location	Maseru
Type	Military coup
Motive	Regime change
Organised by	Elias Phisoana Ramaema
Participants	Lesotho Defence Force (faction)
Outcome	Coup succeeds Overthrow of military government of Prime Minister Lekhanya. Colonel Ramaema assumed the leadership of the Military Council. Multi-party general election held in 1993. King Moshoeshoe II restored to the throne in 1995.

Colonel Ramaena besieged the government and forced Prime Minister Lekhanya to resign. During Ramaena's two years in power, a new constitution restoring the powers of the Parliament was adopted. Multi-party general election was held on 27 March 1993, with the assistance of the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations, at the request of the government. Finally, the exiled King Moshoeshoe II, who was dethroned by General Lekhanya in 1990,^[3] was restored to the throne on 25 January 1995.^[4]

References

1. Christopher S. Wren (1 May 1991). "Lesotho's Military Leader Ousted by Army Officers". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
2. "Tenue d'élections multipartites au Lesotho | Perspective Monde". perspective.usherbrooke.ca. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
3. "Lesotho Army Ruler Declares Exiled King to Be Dethroned". The New York Times. Associated Press. 7 November 1990. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
4. "MASERU : A King Returns". Los Angeles Times. 24 January 1995. Retrieved 13 January 2022.