Elections in Mauritius

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Since 1967, Mauritius has experienced 12 free and fair democratic general elections to choose a government.

The

constituencies and 8 additional members nominated by the Best Loser System
.

The government is formed by the party or group which controls a majority on the unicameral legislature. The president and vice-president are then elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term by the parliament.

On a regional level, the country has village and district councils, and municipal elections every 6 years.

Mauritius has a

multi-party system which is mainly dominated by three parties namely Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), the Labour Party and Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM)
.

Out of the 12 national elections, the

Paul Berenger
was prime minister under an alliance with the Jugnauths.

Electoral system

Of the 70 MPs, 62 are elected by plurality in 21 multi-member electoral districts: 20 districts with three members each and one district (Rodrigues) with two members. Voters can vote for up to three (or two) candidates in their district (Plurality block voting). (There is malapportionment: the number of voters per district varies widely.)

An additional eight "best losers" are elected so as to balance the ethnic breakdown of the 62 already elected MPs. Every "best loser" seat is awarded to the community which is the most under-represented community at that stage of the process. The D'Hondt method is applied. The basic figures used to apportion the best losers come from the 1972 census (the last census to compile ethnicity statistics): 428,348 Hindu, 261,439 'general population', 24,374 Sino-Mauritian and 137,173 Muslim. The first four seats are apportioned to the best losers of the relevant community, irrespective of party. The next four best losers also compensate on the party-level: after the first four best loser seats, the next seat must go to the majority party until it has four, the remaining seats go to parties who did not yet receive seats. This makes it sometimes impossible to fill a vacancy, because there is no candidate available who is from ethnic group A and from party B at the same time.[1]

For the 2014 elections only, the obligation for candidates to declare their community was lifted.[2] If such candidates got elected (which was the case for five MPs from L'Alliance Lepep), instead of the actual division of the 62 seats over the communities, the historic average was used as basis for the best loser allocation.

Main political parties

This is the oldest surviving political party on the island and remains one of the main parties on the political front. It was formed in 1936 by a group of people including

Comité d'Action Musulman (CAM) and the Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) to form the Independence Party alliance in 1967. This alliance negotiated the terms of the 1968 independence at the end of British colonial rule in the country. The Independence Party alliance won the elections of 1967. In 1969 Sookdeo Bissoondoyal's IFB left the government to join the Opposition which allowed Gaetan Duval's PMSD to join the ruling government. This Labour-CAM-PMSD coalition passed a Bill in Parliament to postpone the 1972 elections to 4 years later in 1976. Due to a struggling economy and worsening unemployment from 1971 and onwards the Labour Party suffered a first electoral defeat in 1976. However it managed to stay in power by forming another alliance with the PMSD. It finally suffered a major electoral defeat in 1982 and Seewoosagur Ramgoolam eventually resigned as Leader in the following year. From 1983 to 1991, Satcam Boolell was leader of the Labour Party which supported the MSM-led government from 1983 to 1988. Prior to the 1991 general elections Seewoosagur's son Navin Ramgoolam replaced Satcam Boolell
as the party's leader in 1990. He restructured the Labour Party eventually won the 1995 elections after contracting an alliance with the MMM. After the party lost in 2000, it came back in 2005 and won again the elections of 2010. The Labour Party then suffered two consecutive defeats at both the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

This is the second oldest surviving main political party formed in 1955 by Jules Koenig. The party was considered a main political force up to 1982. In the 1960s, the PMSD was opposed to the concept of an independent Mauritius. Led by Gaëtan Duval in 1967 it waged an electoral campaign against its main rival, the Independence Party (Labour-IFB-CAM) which featured divisive slogans such as "Malbar Nou Pas Oulé" which translates into "We do not want Hindus". Following its electoral defeat in 1967, it nevertheless joined the Labour Party to form a unified government in 1971 and again in 1976. In 1982 the Labour-PMSD alliance suffered a major electoral defeat. From 1983 to 1990, it supported the MSM-led government. In 1991, PMSD formed an alliance with the Labour Party once again but they lost the 1991 elections. Due to infighting in the 1990s both Xavier Luc Duval and his father Gaëtan Duval had left the PMSD to form their own parties. In 2000 the PMSD returned as a minor partner in the MSM-MMM government with Maurice Allet as leader. In 2005 Allet stepped down to make way for Xavier Luc Duval as leader of the PMSD following dissolution of Xavier's short-lived break away party Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval (PMXD). Although since 1983 PMSD had become a minor political party (having generally not more than 4 Members of Parliament), it managed to have 11 Members of Parliament elected at the 2014 elections. PMSD continues to play an active role in the politics of dependency Rodrigues.

The MMM was formed in 1969 by

Paul Berenger, Dev Virahsawmy, Zeel Peerun, Jooneed Jeeroburkhan, Fareed Muttur, Chafeekh Jeeroburkhan, Sushil Kushiram, Tirat Ramkissoon, Krishen Mati, Ah-Ken Wong, Kriti Goburdhun, Allen Sew Kwan Kan, Vela Vengaroo, and Amedee Darga[3] as a student activist movement and is still led by the same man. Berenger collaborated with trade unions such as GWF to fight for the rights of workers to obtain fairer compensation & salary. As a trade unionist, he was the mastermind of a series of strikes in the 1970s against political injustice and government domination. Most prominent figures of the MMM (such as Ramesh Fulena, Berenger, and others) spent most of 1972 in the secret police's jail of Line Barracks for organising illegal gathering during which he also made public speech. The first ever elected member of the MMM was Dev Virahsawmy following by-elections triggered by the death in 1970 of Lall Jugnauth who had been elected member of parliament under the banner of now defunct party Independent Forward Block (IFB). Ramgoolam decided not to host the 1972 general elections, saying there was too much social unrest. Dev Virahsawmy and many others left the MMM in March 1973. Soon afterwards Dev Virahsawmy formed a new party Mouvement Militant Mauricien Socialiste Progressiste (MMMSP). At the 1976 elections the MMM came out with the largest number of winning votes but S. Ramgoolam made a surprise alliance with PMSD to outnumber MMM. The Labour-PMSD coalition was thus returned to government and MMM became the main Opposition. In 1982 Berenger eventually led to the downfall of the Labour-PMSD coalition government as MMM won (with an alliance with Harish Boodhoo's PSM) all parliamentary seats. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was not even elected in 1982. Thus by 1982 MMM had won a second general election with a clear majority. Then party leader Anerood Jugnauth
became prime minister. In 1983 following numerous disagreements between Jugnauth and Berenger, the MMM decided to leave the government. Jugnauth, along with the PSM and some members of the MMM who did not leave him formed a minority government. In August 1983, Jugnauth formed his own party (MSM) and won the further elections of 1983 and 1987. The MMM then formed an alliance with the MSM again in 1991 and with the Labour Party in 1995 (both times as a junior partner). In 2000 it formed a coalition government with the MSM as a rather equal partner. Berenger finally became Prime Minister in 2003 following Jugnauth's retirement. He then formed his own government from 2003 to 2005. The MMM later lost the 2005, 2010 and 2014 elections (3 general elections in a row).

The MSM was formed and led in 1983 by

Sir Anerood Jugnauth was elected to serve as president in 2003 and again in 2008. He remained President until major disagreements were experienced between him and the Labour-led government by Navin Ramgoolam
especially as the Medpoint scandal case came to light. He later resigned and joined back politics (putting an end to his retirement after nine years). The MSM finally won the 2014 and 2019 general elections with an alliance with various smaller parties.

From 1967 onwards all general elections have been won by a coalition of parties led by either the Labour Party (led by the Ramgoolams) or the MSM (led by the Jugnauths). The following politicians held the office of Prime Minister:

Elections

1967 general election

Main article: 1967 Mauritian general election

In the 1967 general election, an alliance known as the

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) became the first Prime Minister of Mauritius. The Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD) became the opposition party.[4][5]

1976 general election

Main article: 1976 Mauritian general election

In the 1976 general election, the

SSR remained in office and the MMM became the opposition party.[4]

1982 general election

Main article: 1982 Mauritian general election

In the 1982 general election, an alliance consisting of the MMM and the

Minister of Finance. The PMSD became the opposition party.[4]

1983 general election

Main article: 1983 Mauritian general election

The alliance broke up in 1983 and another general election was held. A new alliance consisting of the

PMSD won the election, SAJ became Prime Minister again. The MMM became the opposition party.[4]

1987 general election

Main article: 1987 Mauritian general election

In the 1987 general election, an group known as

MMM remained the opposition party.[4]

1991 general election

Main article: 1991 Mauritian general election

In the

MSM was established again and won the election. SAJ remained Prime Minister. The PTR became the opposition, with the new leader of the PTR Dr. Navin Ramgoolam, as the leader of the opposition.[4]

Republic of Mauritius

On 12 March 1992 Mauritius became a republic, with a new constitution. The terms of the general elections were regulated to 5 years. Since then, every 5 years elections take place and a new prime minister is elected.

1995 general election

Main article: 1995 Mauritian general election

The 1995 general election was won by an alliance consisting of the

MMM. Dr. Navin Ramgoolam became Prime Minister of Mauritius. The PMSD became the opposition party.[4]

2000 general election

Main article: 2000 Mauritian general election

In the 2000 general election an alliance of the

Mouvement Socialiste Militant to his son.[6][7]

2005 general election

Main article: 2005 Mauritian general election

In the 2005 general election a group known as

MSM and the PMSD
. The Alliance Sociale won the election and Dr. Navin Ramgoolam became Prime Minister of Mauritius.

In 2009, the PMSD merged with the PMXD; the new party retained the name PMSD, Xavier-Luc Duval became leader of the new party and Maurice Allet became president.

2010 general election

Main article: 2010 Mauritian general election

For the 2010 general election, two alliances were formed. They were the

PMSD
then left the government.

2014 general election

Main article: 2014 Mauritian general election

L'Alliance Lepep won the 2014 elections, with 47 seats, against 13 for the Labour Party / MMM alliance.

2019 general election

Main article: 2019 Mauritian general election

The Alliance Morisien (a coalition of 4 parties namely Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Muvman Liberater (ML), Alan Ganoo Movement and Plateforme Militante) [8] won the 2019 elections after 39 of its candidates were elected. The Best Loser System enabled the Alliance Morisien to secure an additional 3 seats. At these elections 13 candidates of the rival Alliance Nationale were elected, with an additional 4 seats granted by the Electoral Commission. The MMM managed to have 8 of its candidates elected and received 1 extra seat as part of Best Loser system.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ "Mauritius | Election Passport".
  2. ^ Constitution (Declaration of Community) (Temporary Provisions) Act 2014 N° 3
  3. ^ "Une naissance sous l'etat d'urgence et la repression", Le Militant, p. 8, 25 September 2009
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  5. ^ "Mauritius". Worldsstatesmen.org. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Ethnic handover in Mauritius". BBC. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Mauritius PM keeps it in family". BBC. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  8. ^ "L'Alliance Morisien se dévoile". L'Express. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
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