Lesotho held its first ever local government elections on 30 April 2005. The elections were a major step towards institutionalising grassroots democracy through direct and active involvement of Basotho in their own governance >>

Each Community Council is composed of between nine and 15 elected councillors and a maximum of two chiefs who are nominated by the gazetted chiefs in that Community Council area. Community Councils perform a range of functions as specified in the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act. In the interim phase, due to the immediate challenges posed by inadequate resources and capacities, Community Councils access staff and other resources from District Councils >>.

The thrust of local government, as envisaged by the Government of Lesotho, is to improve service delivery and bring services closer to the people . >>

Each Community Council is composed of between nine and 15 elected councillors and a maximum of two chiefs who are nominated by the gazetted chiefs in that Community Council area. Community Councils perform a range of functions as specified in the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act. In the interim phase, due to the immediate challenges posed by inadequate resources and capacities, Community Councils access staff and other resources from District Councils.

The chairpersons of all the Community Councils in a district, together with at least one member elected from each Community Council, form that area's District Council along with two chiefs who are elected by the chiefs from the district's Community Councils. A typical District Council consists of a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 41 nominated councilors from Community Councils. District Councils are headed by an elected Chairperson. The 10 District Councils are body corporate. They have the resources, capacity and infrastructure to deliver a wide range of developmental services to the people to the people living and working in their areas.

Maseru Municipal Council is currently the only Municipal Council in existence. Municipal Councils have a minimum of eight members and a maximum of 15 including three gazetted chiefs nominated by other chiefs within the council boundaries. The Maseru Municipal Council is a body corporate formed from a cluster of villages within the urban area of Maseru. It consists of 15 councillors.

Local government staff
Each District has a District Administrator appointed by the Minister of Local Government in consultation with the Prime Minister. The Administrator represents the interests of central government at district level; is responsible for planning, the implementation of policies and controlling district operational resources; and oversees the work of all central government staff and government ministries in his or her district. He or she is answerable to the Minister of Local Government on political issues and to the Principal Secretary on administrative and technical issues.

Each District also has an appointed District Council Secretary who ensures that council meetings are arranged properly, that councils run smoothly and that reports are compiled and presented.

The chief executive officer for each Community Council is the Council Secretary or, in the case of a Municipal Council, the Town Clerk. S/he is responsible for all other staff members employed by the local authority.