Basutoland

Mr Lipholo's motion is based on a 1962 United Nations resolution that recognised the right to self-determination and independence for the people of Basutoland - as Lesotho was then called.

Formerly known as Basutoland, it won its independence from the U.K. in 1966.

"The Lesotho Congress for Democracy, the Lesotho People's Congress and the Basutoland Congress Party have all agreed to be on our team," said Mosisili, adding that he was confident that the coalition would last.

Healdtown attracted students from all over the country, as well as from the protectorates of Basutoland, Swaziland, and Bechuana- land.

Mr Mosisili survived an assassination attempt that killed one of his sons in 2009, a year after he formed the Lesotho Congress for Democracy, itself a splinter of the Basutoland Congress Party.