The Lesotho Government is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, is head of government and has administrator authority. The King serves a largely ceremonial function; he no longer possesses any administrator authority and is proscribed from actively participating in political initiatives.

The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) controls a majority in the National Assembly, with the Basotho National Party (BNP), Lesotho Peoples Congress, and the National Independent Party, among the 9 opposition parties described.

The constitution provides for an independent judicial system. The judiciary is made up of the Court of Appeal, the High Court, magistrate's courts, and orthodox courts that exist predominately in rural areas. All but one of the Justices on the Court of Appeal are South African jurists. There is no trial by jury; rather, judges make rulings alone, or, in the case of criminal trials, with two other judges as observers. The constitution also protects basic civil liberties, including freedom of speech, association, and the press; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of religion. For administrative purposes, Lesotho is separated into 10 districts, each headed by a district secretary.