1965 Basutoland general election

1965 Basutoland general election

29 April 1965
60 seats in the National Assembly 31 seats needed for a majority
Registered	416,952
Turnout	62.79%
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Leabua Jonathan Ntsu Mokhehle Seth Makotoko Party BNP BCP MFP Seats won 31 25 4 Popular vote 108,140 103,068 40,414 Percentage 42.01% 40.04% 15.70%
Elected Prime Minister Sekhonyana Maseribane BNP

General elections were held in Basutoland on 29 April 1965. The result was a narrow victory for the Basotholand National Party, which led the country to independence as Lesotho on 4 October the following year. Voter turnout was 63%.

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Basutoland National Party	108,140	42.01	31	+30
	Basutoland Congress Party	103,068	40.04	25	–5
	Marematlou Freedom Party	40,414	15.70	4	New
	Marema-Tlou Party	5,697	2.21	0	–5
	Independents	79	0.03	0	–4
Total		257,398	100.00	60	–20
Valid votes		257,398	98.31
Invalid/blank votes		4,426	1.69
Total votes		261,824	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		416,952	62.79
Source: Nohlen et al.