Lesotho is a multi-party democracy with a constitutional monarch. It attained its independence from Britain on October 4, 1966. King Letsie III is the head of state but has no executive and legislative powers.

The government is headed by a prime minister, who is the leader of the majority party in the Assembly. The Honourable Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili was elected into office in 1998 and was re-elected in 2002. In the bicameral Parliament of the country there is a Senate having 33 members out of which 22 members are principal chiefs and the remaining 11 are chosen by the ruling party. There is an Assembly that has a total of 80 seats. The members of the Assembly are elected by the method of popular voting for a term of 5 years.

For administrative purposes the country has been divided into 10 districts each headed by a district secretary. The constitution provides for an independent judicial system, which consists of the High Court, Court of Appeal, traditional courts existing mainly in the rural areas and Magistrate's Court. The legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law.

Lesotho has approximately 17 official parties with only three or four really dominating the political landscape. The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) is the ruling party.

Lesotho is a member of several International and regional organisations, including the United Nations and its various agencies, the Commonwealth, the non-aligned movement, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community. It falls within the same monetary area and Customs Union as South Africa and other neighbouring states.