Background:
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence
from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990.
Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of
military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny
following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody South
African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since
restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were
held in 2002.