Tom Thabane | |
|---|---|
 Thabane in 2014 | |
| 4th Prime Minister of Lesotho | |
| In office 16 June 2017 – 19 May 2020 | |
| Monarch | Letsie III |
| Deputy | Monyane Moleleki |
| Preceded by | Pakalitha Mosisili |
| Succeeded by | Moeketsi Majoro |
| In office 8 June 2012 – 17 March 2015 | |
| Monarch | Letsie III |
| Deputy | Mothetjoa Metsing |
| Preceded by | Pakalitha Mosisili |
| Succeeded by | Pakalitha Mosisili |
| Leader of the All Basotho Convention | |
| In office October 2006 – 2 February 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Party established |
| Succeeded by | Nkaku Kabi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Motsoahae Thabane 28 May 1939 Maseru, Basutoland |
| Political party | Lesotho Congress for Democracy (Before 2006) All Basotho Convention (2006–present) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5 |
| Education | National University of Lesotho (BA) |
Thomas Motsoahae Thabane (born 28 May 1939)[1] is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022.
Thabane served in the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili from 1998 to 2006 as a member of the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), but in 2006 he split from the LCD and launched the All Basotho Convention (ABC). After more than five years in opposition, he built a coalition of 12 parties in the wake of the 2012 Lesotho parliamentary election and was appointed prime minister.
In the 2015 Lesotho parliamentary election, the ABC was democratically removed from power by a seven-party coalition led by Mosisili, though the ABC did win the most constituencies. Two months later, Thabane fled to South Africa with two other opposition leaders, claiming that their lives were in danger. They returned to Lesotho on 12 February 2017 to participate in a parliamentary vote of no confidence that unseated Mosisili.[2][3] Thabane went on to win a plurality of seats in the subsequent parliamentary election and returned as prime minister.
In 2020, Thabane faced pressure to resign as prime minister due to his alleged involvement in his ex-spouse's murder. He announced on 18 May that he would resign the following day.[4]
- ^ "Index Ta-Ti". rulers.org. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ AFP. "Lesotho teeters as former PM returns". Times LIVE. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ "Exiled Lesotho opposition leaders return home from S/Africa - Apanews.net". apanews.net. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ "Thomas Thabane resigns as Lesotho prime minister". BBC News. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.