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50 Maloti - Moshoeshoe II Commonwealth Membership
| Issuer | Lesotho |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Currency | Loti (1980-date) |
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| Obverse description | The central field displays the royal coat of arms of Lesotho, featuring a quartered shield bearing a crocodile, supported on either side by rearing Basotho ponies. Above the shield rises a traditional Basotho hat (mokorotlo) flanked by ostrich feathers and a spear, while a scroll beneath bears the national motto KHOTSO PULA NALA. The surrounding legend reads KINGDOM OF LESOTHO at the top, with ONE OUNCE FINE SILVER to the lower left, the date 1981 at the base, and the denomination 50 MALOTI to the lower right. The design is framed by a decorative border of linked circular elements around the entire periphery. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Lesotho joined the Commonwealth in 1966 upon independence from Britain, but this 1981 issue commemorates the kingdom's continued membership during a period of acute political instability — Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan had suspended the constitution and ruled by decree since nullifying the 1970 elections, which his Basotho National Party had lost to Moshoeshoe II's preferred candidates. The king himself had been forced into brief exile following that constitutional crisis.
Moshoeshoe II remained a largely ceremonial figure through the 1970s and into the 1980s, his authority systematically curtailed by Jonathan's government.