Lesotho uncovers "assassination plot"

Lesotho claims to uncover plot to kill ministers
Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa
The government of Lesotho believes it has uncovered a plot by opposition political parties to assassinate some government ministers and business people, government spokesperson Mothejoa Metsing said on Friday ... "I have a list of the names of government ministers and some business people who are going to be attacked by members of some opposition political parties during the planned stayaway from work beginning next month," he said ... The last stayaway from work was called by the five main opposition political parties in December last year. These parties are known as the "big five" and are made up of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), the Alliance of Congress Parties, the Basotho National Party, the Marematlou Freedom Party and the National Independent Party ... Since the February 2007 snap elections, the kingdom, totally surrounded by South Africa and with an estimated population of 1,8-million and the third highest HIV/Aids infection rate in the world, has experienced political instability. The political instability was fuelled by the opposition parties' protests over the allocation of the 40 proportional parliamentary seats by the Independent Electoral Commission, allegedly in collusion with the ruling LCD. This led to incidents of kidnapping, torture and illegal detention of some members of opposition political parties, harassment of the media and threats to the members of the judiciary.