Khothatso Sehloho

THE Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) has held a prayer session for peaceful and credible elections in October amid calls for political leaders to put the interests of the nation ahead of their own.

The session was attended by church leaders and officials from various political parties.

Speaking at the prayer session in Maseru on Tuesday, one of the CCL leaders, Bishop Daniel Rantle reminded political leaders that leadership was a calling to release Basotho from the clutches of poverty and unemployment.

Bishop Rantle said leaders need to be productive in everything they do and they can only achieve that when they follow God’s path.

As leaders, they are sometimes tempted to engage in corrupt activities but they can overcome as long as they follow Christian teachings, he said.

“You see how corruption has taken power? We need to know that one cannot overcome and be a complete human being without full spiritual development,” Bishop Rantle said.

On his part, Archbishop Tlali Gerard Lerotholi reminded political leaders of their 2012 electoral pledge “to honour the constitution and laws of Lesotho; to observe the electoral code of conduct; to honour the institutions of governance of Lesotho and to uphold peace and harmony during the campaigns and accept election results”.

“Success builds on success. Thus, as CCL, we again ask for your commitment (to the electoral pledge). We should put God first in everything; we should be ethical, accountable, engaging and caring to the people,” he said.

Alliance for Democrats (AD) deputy leader, Professor Ntoi Rapapa, commended the CCL for playing a vital role in society and politics.

He said although the country had SADC to mediate, the CCL also played a significant role in resolving political conflicts.