Military role in democratic transition and succession: Lessons from the Kingdom of Lesothos

Abstract

This study examines military institution and prevailing roles in the Lesotho government to determine transition and succession formations, this is accomplished by articulating how Lesotho’s democracy failed by understanding the existing military roles. From a qualitative standpoint, this study relied mainly on non-empirical research design: Systematic review, data restricted to 1965–2017 (52 years’ projection), which included periodicals and other archival documents that provided required information for this discourse. Critical and logical analysis of data attested that the military play a role of distractive force in Lesotho’s democratisation process. This military institution presented acted as a false custodian of democratic principles by initiating the “Coups.” Other emerging findings further suggest that the military democratic principles and arrangements are faulty and inadequate for sustainable democratic governance to succeed. This military institution function as a partisan organisation where various acts performed were unlawful. This study concludes that military has been more of a distractive than consolidation force of democratic transitions. This study further concludes that in the period 1970 to 1986 the military acted as guarantors of civilian election power under conditions of civilian dictatorship and politicians used to ensure their survival (politicisation of the military). From the independence of Lesotho in 1965 to 2016 by as adopted by politicians to fight their political battles, and withal to overthrow the regime.

Keywords

• democracy
• lesotho
• military
• politics
• political transition