Lesotho's King Letsie III has set 3 June as the date for the general elections, the prime minister said on Monday, a week after parliament was dissolved.

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosilili, who has been in power for two years, lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month after several defections by ruling-coalition lawmakers to the opposition had badly weakened his support.

"The office of His Majesty has confirmed the date for General Elections as 3 June 2017 in Lesotho," Mosisili's office said in a statement.

Political analysts say Lesotho now faces a period of political instability. Its last two elections failed to produce a winner with a clear majority.

Lesotho, a mountainous, landlocked country of 2 million people surrounded by South Africa, has been hit by several coups since independence from Britain in 1966.