People / group

Basotho National Party

Also known as BNP

The Basotho National Party is a political party in Lesotho, founded in 1959 by Leabua Jonathan. Conservative and supported by the Catholic Church, it won the 1965 elections and led Lesotho to independence in 1966. When it lost the 1970 election, Jonathan suspended the constitution and ruled until a military coup in 1986; the party has since been a minor force.

Basotho National Party
Image: Kookaburra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Lesotho

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Basotho National Party. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/basotho-national-party
MLA
“Basotho National Party.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/basotho-national-party. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Basotho National Party.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/basotho-national-party.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Basotho National Party’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/basotho-national-party (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻