Vote counting starts in Lesotho’s polls in southern Africa

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and HERBERT MOYO
Associated Press

MASERU, Lesotho (AP) — Vote counting has begun in southern Africa’s tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho following a day when thousands of citizens in urban and rural areas voted to elect the country’s 120 legislators. Soon after the polls closed, electoral officials were seen verifying voters’ rolls at various polling stations. The Independent Electoral Commission will announce the official results, which some expect will come by Tuesday. The elections are a tight race between the top three parties out of a field of more than 60 registered parties. Friday was declared a public holiday to encourage voting in the tiny mountainous kingdom of 2.1 million people.