Communist Party of Lesotho

(CPL, Mokhatle oa Makomonisi a Lesotho), a party founded on May 5, 1962, at a constituent congress, which adopted the party program and rules. The program points out that the CPL is the party of the workers and peasants, having as its goal the establishment of a socialist republic of Lesotho. The party cooperates with the progressive forces of all the political parties of the country, regarding the first and foremost task to be the creation of a united front of democratic forces to discard the present neocolonialist regime and replace it with a government that will carry out a policy of economic independence and social progress. The CPL was banned in February 1970 and its leaders (including general secretary J. Kena) were arrested. In 1971 they were released but kept under police surveillance. The party has continued its work illegally.

A delegation of the CPL participated in the international Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties of 1969 (Moscow). It approved the documents adopted by the conference.

The basic principle of the party’s organizational structure is democratic centralism. Its supreme body is the National Conference and, between conferences, the Central Committee, which elects the Political Bureau. Prior to its prohibition, the party published the journal Majammoho.