The opposition has called off the indefinite stay-away it had called from Tuesday.

This was announced by the leader of the All Basotho Convention Mr. Motsoahae Thabane on Wednesday, the second day of the stay-away.

Addressing supporters at a hurriedly organised rally, Mr. Thabane said they had decided to afford the festive season the respect it deserves and that the stay-away has been suspended until next January.

The opposition called for an indefinite stay-away that was originally scheduled for Tuesday last week in protest at the judicial inquiry the Central Bank of Lesotho has instituted against MKM Burial Society.

It effectively lasted only one day, as most shops were closed on Tuesday, while a sizeable population of people could still be seen in town, an indication of general unhappiness with it.

However, reacting to police assurances of security, most major shops were operating today (Wednesday) and people were up and about going about their usual business.

The stay-away was called barely a week after the opposition coalition held consultations with the Prime Minister, on among others, the MKM issue, the eviction of street vendors from the major streets of Maseru, the opposition High Court lawsuits over the allocation of parliamentary proportional representation seats and the breakdown of talks on post-election differences.

Source: LENA 12/12/2007