He took the oath of office in front of thousands of Basotho and presidents from southern Africa in the capital, Maseru.

The events including an air show are being live-streamed by the state broadcaster in neighbouring South Africa:

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2022/10/28/2a752e39-0758-4ed4-9c83-aaede2bc5502.jpg

The 64-year-old is a well-regarded businessman in Lesotho but a novice to politics.

His six-month-old political party won the recent elections with a huge margin but fell short of the majority. He'll now lead Lesotho after forming a coalition with two smaller parties.

Political analysts see his victory as a sign that the people of Lesotho want a new kind of leadership.

Some hope his business acumen will translate to good governance and service delivery in the economically embattled country.

For a decade, none of Lesotho's political parties has garnered enough votes to form a government on its own. The country has, as a result, been run by coalition governments that have proved fractious, and no prime minister has served a full five-year term.

The small southern African kingdom has experienced political instability since 2012, including a coup in 2014 and three national elections in five years.