Politics of Mauritius
Encyclopedia
Politics of Mauritius takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
representative democratic
republic
, in which the President is the head of state
and the prime minister is the head of government
who is assisted by a council of Ministers
. Mauritius has a multi-party system
. Executive power
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
and the National Assembly
.
The absolute power is split between two positions, the President and the Prime Minister.
Alone or in coalition, the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP) ruled from 1947 through 1982. The Mauritian Militant Movement
/ Mauritian Socialist Party (MMM/PSM) alliance won the 1982 election, taking all 60 seats in Mauritius. In 1983, defectors from the MMM joined with the PSM to form the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and formed a majority in coalition with the MLP.
In July 1990, the MSM realigned with the MMM and in September 1991 national elections won 57 of the 62 directly elected seats in parliament. In December 1995, the MLP returned to power, this time in coalition with the MMM. The MLP's Navinchandra Ramgoolam, son of the country's first prime minister, became prime minister himself. Ramgoolam dismissed his MMM coalition partners in mid-1997, leaving Labour in power only with several small parties allied with it.
The MMM and MSM rejoined in a coalition that won the 2000 elections
and, although a handful of MPs defected from the MSM in early 2005, both parties went together to the next election in July 2005, competing against the Alliance Sociale, a MLP-led coalition. The Alliance Sociale won the elections with an overwhelming majority.
In 2010, the MLP made a controversial alliance with the MSM, which is reported to have been decided since MSM's leader Pravind Jugnauth won the partial elections in constituency No. 8 owing to MLP's leader's silent orders. The alliance again won the majority with a comfortable number of seats defeating the MMM's alliance with two other parties.
Until 1992, Mauritius was a constitutional monarchy
with Queen Elizabeth II
as head of state
, but on March 12 of that year, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth
. The last Governor-General
, Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo
, became President under a transitional arrangement, before stepping down three months later in favour of Cassam Uteem
, a former government minister. Under the amended constitution, the country's unicameral parliament, the Legislative Assembly, was renamed the National Assembly.
Currently, President Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam
are the highest ranked persons in the government, and both are Hindus.
More than 45 out of 70 members of Parliament are Hindus. The Ministries are also allocated on a communal basis. Hindus hold 16 ministries out of 22; 3 ministries are allocated to Muslims and 3 ministries are allocated to Christians. It is to be noted that that the current electoral system under what is commonly known as "Best losers", allows for ethnic representation of MPs in the legislative assembley.
, Leader of the Opposition
and also other members of the parliament.
is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister. The Council of Ministers (cabinet), responsible for the direction and control of the government, consists of the prime minister (head of government), the leader of the majority party in the legislature, and about 24 ministries.
|Prime Minister
|Navin Ramgoolam
|MLP
|5 July 2005
|-
|Deputy Prime Minister
|Rashid Beebeejaun
|MLP
|5 July 2005
|-
|Vice Prime Minister
|Xavier Luc Duval
|PMSD
|5 July 2005
|-
|Vice Prime Minister
|Anil Bachoo
|MLP
|7 August 2011
|}
The Executive branch being with the Cabinet have 4 most powerful offices, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and 2 offices of Vice Prime Minister. They have the absolute power and authority over the cabiner and also help the Prime Minister in his tasks and responsibilities.
This is a list of precedence from the most to least powerful offices in the government:
created in 1936 and the newest most powerful remains the Militant Socialist Movement
created in 1983 nearly 50 years after the Labours.
The elections are most of the time fought between the three following parties, Militant Socialist Movement
(known as MSM), Mauritian Labour Party
(Known as Parti Travaiste) and the Mauritian Militant Movement
(known as the MMM). Some others less powerful help to make alliance and have a majority in a hung parliament
situation .One party is Mauritian Social Democrat Party
(Known as the PMSD) .
Being the oldest party ,the Labour has won in all 5 general elections alone or in alliance starting in 1967 followed in 1976 and its comeback from the political cemetery in 1995 being the firs time alone in 2005 and lastly in alliance winning the 2010 elections.
In second position comes the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) which has won 4 general elections ,those of 1983 ,1987 ,1991 and 2000 but is also in alliance with the Labour Party in 2010 victory .
In last position comes the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) which has won the elections only 2 times ,the major one in 1982 and lastly in 2000 forming an alliance with the MSM.
The MSM is known to be the financially most powerful of the three and the MMM is known to be most stagnate party as it has on many occasions fought elections alone and has received much percentage of votes.The Labour party plays also a lot when talking about the ones who fought for independence and also brought freedom to the country during electoral campaigns in order to obtain votes.
The following table shows the different elections and the party which won the elections .
The Mauritian Labour Party
was created in 1936 by late Dr Maurice Cure and other prominent figures such as Renganaden Seeneevasen and Emmanuel Anquetil. It was the party which fought against the authoritarian governance of the British. They altogether attended the conference in United Kingdom and resisted to the British demands and were still fighting for the independence of the country.
It is said to be the historical political party as most of the other party members emerged from the Labours .In 1957, a young physician known as Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
was offered to be member of the party along with some friends. He later became the leader of the party and was the main negotiator for the independence without the spreading of blood and war. His mission became successful in 1967 when the Queen and British Government accepted their demand to free the island known as the Star of the Indian Ocean .Following the agreement ,general elections were held in 1967 and the Labour Party was victorious against the Social Democrat which formed the official opposition .
Ramgoolam ruled the country with its main resources, sugar cane. Mauritius began to emerge slowly with a very poor GDP and low average income in the country. Ramgoolam ,being the leader of the majority party became Prime Minister in 1968 just after Independence . He remained there until 1982 .
Paul Berenger
, a French descendant born in Mauritius came back to Mauritius after his tertiary schooling in Europe .He began to calculate and study as well as analyze the government work and progress which he defined as very drastic and poor strategies .He therefore decided to create a political party which would have the main objective of taking away the country from poverty ,famine and illiteracy .
He formed the Mauritian Militant Movement
(MMM) in 1970 and invited some of his friends to join in .With time ,the MMM became very powerful and most of alliances of the Labour Party joined together in the party .One famous figure was Sir Anerood Jugnauth who was a former minister in the cabinet of Ramgoolam .They joined hands and fought the general elections for the first time in 1976 .
The MMM was the majority party until Ramgoolam joined hands with the Social Democrates and formed a slighter majority of 2 seats higher. The MMM had 30 seats and the Labour Party 25 and Social Democrats obtained 7. They formed an alliance of 32 seats against 30. Berenger knew that Hindus being the majority would never want to have him as Prime Minister and therefore nominated Jugnauth to be elected as Prime Minister in case of victory.
He also did an alliance with then Hindu nationalist party ,the Mauritian Socialist Party. They went in alliance and won the 1982 general elections as a high power as they obtained all 62 seats in parliament .Berenger decided that it was time for some constitutional reforms.He proposed that the executive powers of the Prime Minister be spread out in the cabinet and that the cabinet will have the most executive power than the leader .
Anerood Jugnauth strongly disagreed with Berenger on this matter and resigned from his party and as Prime Minister just after dissolving the parliament .This was considered as a major turn and trick .Jugnauth was put under pressure to resign and before his term ended ,just few days before ,he dissolved the assembly and called for new elections .
He took the Mauritian Socialist Party members and merged with a new party and founded the Militant Socialist Movement
,(MSM) .His new created party went for the general elections in alliance with the labour and social democrats .They won a comfortable majority and the MSM stayed to power until 1995 .
This showed the way the MSM was created and how it did survived .Jugnauth being long time its leader was Prime Minister for 16 years and President since 2003 .
—a chief justice
and five other judges—is the highest local judicial authority. There is an additional higher right of appeal
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have been located in Mauritius since the end of 2008, as part of a plan to lower the costs of appeal.
forms the country's 10th administrative division. Other dependencies are Agalega Islands
and Cargados Carajos Shoals. The divisions are Black River, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, and Savanne.
ACP,
AfDB
,
AOSIS,
C
,
CCC,
ECA,
FAO
,
G-77
,
IAEA
,
IBRD
,
ICAO
,
ICCt
,
ICFTU
,
ICRM
,
IDA
,
IFAD
,
IFC
,
IFRCS
,
ILO
,
IMF
,
IMO
,
Inmarsat
,
InOC
,
Intelsat
,
Interpol,
IOC
,
ISO
,
ITU
,
NAM
,
OAU,
OPCW,
PCA
,
SADC
,
UN
,
UNCTAD
,
UNESCO,
UNIDO
,
UPU
,
WCL
,
WFTU
,
WHO
,
WIPO
,
WMO
,
WToO
,
WTO
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, in which the President is the head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and the prime minister is the head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
who is assisted by a council of Ministers
Cabinet of Ministers of Mauritius
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Mauritius is the official council which advises the President of the Republic to take major decisions...
. Mauritius has a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and the National Assembly
National Assembly of Mauritius
The National Assembly is Mauritius's unicameral parliament, which was called the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when the country became a republic...
.
The absolute power is split between two positions, the President and the Prime Minister.
Overview
Mauritian politics is vibrant and characterised by coalition and alliance building. All parties are centrist and reflect a national consensus that supports democratic politics and a relatively open economy with a strong private sector.Alone or in coalition, the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP) ruled from 1947 through 1982. The Mauritian Militant Movement
Mauritian Militant Movement
The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger....
/ Mauritian Socialist Party (MMM/PSM) alliance won the 1982 election, taking all 60 seats in Mauritius. In 1983, defectors from the MMM joined with the PSM to form the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and formed a majority in coalition with the MLP.
In July 1990, the MSM realigned with the MMM and in September 1991 national elections won 57 of the 62 directly elected seats in parliament. In December 1995, the MLP returned to power, this time in coalition with the MMM. The MLP's Navinchandra Ramgoolam, son of the country's first prime minister, became prime minister himself. Ramgoolam dismissed his MMM coalition partners in mid-1997, leaving Labour in power only with several small parties allied with it.
The MMM and MSM rejoined in a coalition that won the 2000 elections
Mauritian general election, 2000
The 2000 Mauritian general elections took place on 11 September 2000 for the National Assembly of Mauritius with the votes counted on 12 September 2000....
and, although a handful of MPs defected from the MSM in early 2005, both parties went together to the next election in July 2005, competing against the Alliance Sociale, a MLP-led coalition. The Alliance Sociale won the elections with an overwhelming majority.
In 2010, the MLP made a controversial alliance with the MSM, which is reported to have been decided since MSM's leader Pravind Jugnauth won the partial elections in constituency No. 8 owing to MLP's leader's silent orders. The alliance again won the majority with a comfortable number of seats defeating the MMM's alliance with two other parties.
Until 1992, Mauritius was a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
with Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
as head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, but on March 12 of that year, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. The last Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
, Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo
Veerasamy Ringadoo
Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, was the Governor General of Mauritius from 17 January 1986 to 12 March 1992, when it became a republic. Ringadoo then served as President until later in 1992, when he was replaced by the democratically elected Cassam Uteem. He is a Tamil by origin and a Hindu...
, became President under a transitional arrangement, before stepping down three months later in favour of Cassam Uteem
Cassam Uteem
Cassam Uteem is a Mauritian political figure who served as President of Mauritius from 30 June 1992 to 15 February 2002 and is the longest serving President of Mauritius, having served for nine years....
, a former government minister. Under the amended constitution, the country's unicameral parliament, the Legislative Assembly, was renamed the National Assembly.
Communal voting
Communal voting is very often the sole way of voting. Since independence, almost all the prime ministers elected by the population have been Hindus. The only non-Hindu PM was Paul Raymond Bérenger who spent 22 months in office from 2003 to 2005 thanks to an understanding between his party, the MMM, and Sir Aneerood Jugnauth's party, the MSM, prior to the 2000 elections. Sir Aneerood Jugnauth thus assumed the office of PM for the first 3 years and, in 2003, Bérenger became PM while Jugnauth became President.Currently, President Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, MP is the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs & External Communications, as well as Leader of the National Assembly. Being the leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, he serves as Member of parliament for constituency No...
are the highest ranked persons in the government, and both are Hindus.
More than 45 out of 70 members of Parliament are Hindus. The Ministries are also allocated on a communal basis. Hindus hold 16 ministries out of 22; 3 ministries are allocated to Muslims and 3 ministries are allocated to Christians. It is to be noted that that the current electoral system under what is commonly known as "Best losers", allows for ethnic representation of MPs in the legislative assembley.
Legislative Branch
The president and vice president are elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms. They form part along with the Speaker of the National Assembly ,the legislative offices which under the constitution have the last decision and word to themselves.Most of the work are already done by the Executive Branch which consists of the Cabinet of MinistersCabinet of Ministers of Mauritius
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Mauritius is the official council which advises the President of the Republic to take major decisions...
, Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
and also other members of the parliament.
| Office | Name | Incumbent Since |
|---|---|---|
| President | Anerood Jugnauth Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth , KCMG, QC, GCSK, PC, LLB, GOLH, GOP, ORS is the President of Mauritius and all its dependencies... |
7 October 2003 |
| Vice President Vice President of Mauritius The Vice President of Mauritius is a political position in Mauritius, created in 1992 when the country became a republic. The Vice President is elected by the National Assembly of Mauritius for term of five years. He or she is second to the head of state and also is responsible for covering the... |
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau Monique Ohsan Bellepeau Agnès Monique Ohsan Bellepeau GOSK is the Vice President of the Republic of Mauritius. She won the parliamentary elections and was appointed on 12th November 2010 following the death of former Vice President, Angidi Chettiar. She was elected unanimously by all members of the National Assembly to... |
13 November 2010 |
Executive Branch
Another important structure of the government of Mauritius is the executive branch .The prime minister is appointed by the president and is responsible to the National Assembly. The Council of MinistersCabinet of Ministers of Mauritius
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Mauritius is the official council which advises the President of the Republic to take major decisions...
is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister. The Council of Ministers (cabinet), responsible for the direction and control of the government, consists of the prime minister (head of government), the leader of the majority party in the legislature, and about 24 ministries.
|Prime Minister
|Navin Ramgoolam
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, MP is the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs & External Communications, as well as Leader of the National Assembly. Being the leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, he serves as Member of parliament for constituency No...
|MLP
Mauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
|5 July 2005
|-
|Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
|Rashid Beebeejaun
Rashid Beebeejaun
Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, GCSK is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Utilities of Mauritius having been in office since 2008. He is the Deputy leader of the Mauritian Labor Party since 2004 and is the first person to hold office of Prime Minister in the Mauritius line of Succession...
|MLP
Mauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
|5 July 2005
|-
|Vice Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
|Xavier Luc Duval
Xavier Luc Duval
Charles Gaëtan Xavier Luc Duval, GCSK, ACCA, MP is the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development in Mauritius...
|PMSD
Mauritian Social Democrat Party
The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement...
|5 July 2005
|-
|Vice Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
|Anil Bachoo
Anil Bachoo
Anil Kumar Bachoo is the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping of Mauritius. He has been in office since 13 September 2008 and has already held the office from 2000 to 2005 under the leadership of then MSM/MMM coalition...
|MLP
Mauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
|7 August 2011
|}
The Executive branch being with the Cabinet have 4 most powerful offices, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and 2 offices of Vice Prime Minister. They have the absolute power and authority over the cabiner and also help the Prime Minister in his tasks and responsibilities.
Power share
In Mauritius, both the President and the Prime Minister enjoy power. The President earns higher and has more benefits and perks such as more bodyguards and police escorts and reside in a Chateau laid on 220 hectares of land. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister is the executive. He is responsible for any bill sent to the President from the assembly. He preside over all cabinet ministers and is the first adviser of the President. He is the head of government and it is on his advice that the President shall appoint any person in the government.This is a list of precedence from the most to least powerful offices in the government:
- The President
- The Prime Minister
- The Vice President
- The Deputy Prime Minister
- The Chief Justice
- The Speaker of the National Assembly
- The Former Presidents
- The Former Prime Minister
- The Vice Prime Ministers
- The Leader of the Opposition
- The Ministers
- The Former Vice President
- The Government Chief Whip
- The Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues
- The Parliamentary Private Secretaries
- The Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service
- Financial Secretary/Secretary for Home Affairs/Secretary for Foreign Affairs
- Dean of the Diplomatic Corps/Heads and Acting Heads of Diplomatic
- Missions/Representatives of International and Regional Organisations
- The Senior Puisne Judge
- The Solicitor General/Puisne Judges/Senior Chief Executives
- The Chief of Protocol
- The Commissioner of Police
- The Permanent Secretaries/Ambassadors/Secretary to President
- The Deputy Speaker/Members of the National Assembly
- The Heads of Religious Bodies
- Holders of G.O.S.K. and/or persons knighted by the Queen
- Lord Mayor of Port-Louis/Mayors/Chairpersons of District Councils
- Consul General/Consuls/Honorary Consuls General/Honorary Consuls
Political Parties
The Republic has had many political parties since its independence .The oldest remains the Labour PartyMauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
created in 1936 and the newest most powerful remains the Militant Socialist Movement
Militant Socialist Movement
The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections...
created in 1983 nearly 50 years after the Labours.
The elections are most of the time fought between the three following parties, Militant Socialist Movement
Militant Socialist Movement
The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections...
(known as MSM), Mauritian Labour Party
Mauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
(Known as Parti Travaiste) and the Mauritian Militant Movement
Mauritian Militant Movement
The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger....
(known as the MMM). Some others less powerful help to make alliance and have a majority in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
situation .One party is Mauritian Social Democrat Party
Mauritian Social Democrat Party
The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement...
(Known as the PMSD) .
Being the oldest party ,the Labour has won in all 5 general elections alone or in alliance starting in 1967 followed in 1976 and its comeback from the political cemetery in 1995 being the firs time alone in 2005 and lastly in alliance winning the 2010 elections.
In second position comes the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) which has won 4 general elections ,those of 1983 ,1987 ,1991 and 2000 but is also in alliance with the Labour Party in 2010 victory .
In last position comes the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) which has won the elections only 2 times ,the major one in 1982 and lastly in 2000 forming an alliance with the MSM.
The MSM is known to be the financially most powerful of the three and the MMM is known to be most stagnate party as it has on many occasions fought elections alone and has received much percentage of votes.The Labour party plays also a lot when talking about the ones who fought for independence and also brought freedom to the country during electoral campaigns in order to obtain votes.
The following table shows the different elections and the party which won the elections .
| Election Year | Majority Party | Alliance Parties | Opposition Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
Independent Forward Block All Hindu Congress Muslim Action Committee |
Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
| 1976 | Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
Muslim Action Committee Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
| 1982 | Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
Mauritian Socialist Party | Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
| 1983 | Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... |
Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
| 1987 | Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... |
Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
| 1991 | Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
| 1995 | Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
Rodrigues Movement |
| 2000 | Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
| 2005 | Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
Mauritian Party of Xavier Duval | Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
| 2010 | Mauritian Labour Party Mauritian Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals... |
Militant Socialist Movement Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections... Mauritian Social Democrat Party Mauritian Social Democrat Party The Mauritian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Mauritius. It is conservative and francophile. It is the 4th biggest political party in the National Assembly after Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and the Militant Socialist Movement... |
Mauritian Militant Movement Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger.... |
The Mauritian Labour Party
Mauritian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a political party in Mauritius.The Mauritian Labour Party was structured in 1936 to model the British Labour Party and has similar socialist goals...
was created in 1936 by late Dr Maurice Cure and other prominent figures such as Renganaden Seeneevasen and Emmanuel Anquetil. It was the party which fought against the authoritarian governance of the British. They altogether attended the conference in United Kingdom and resisted to the British demands and were still fighting for the independence of the country.
It is said to be the historical political party as most of the other party members emerged from the Labours .In 1957, a young physician known as Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam KT,GCMG,KCMG,LRCP, MRCS is the first Chief Minister, Prime Minister and sixth Governor General of Mauritius....
was offered to be member of the party along with some friends. He later became the leader of the party and was the main negotiator for the independence without the spreading of blood and war. His mission became successful in 1967 when the Queen and British Government accepted their demand to free the island known as the Star of the Indian Ocean .Following the agreement ,general elections were held in 1967 and the Labour Party was victorious against the Social Democrat which formed the official opposition .
Ramgoolam ruled the country with its main resources, sugar cane. Mauritius began to emerge slowly with a very poor GDP and low average income in the country. Ramgoolam ,being the leader of the majority party became Prime Minister in 1968 just after Independence . He remained there until 1982 .
Paul Berenger
Paul Bérenger
Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK MP is the Leader of the Opposition of Mauritius and former Prime Minister of the Republic. Bérenger, who is a Christian of French descent, is the only Prime Minister of Mauritius who was not a Hindu....
, a French descendant born in Mauritius came back to Mauritius after his tertiary schooling in Europe .He began to calculate and study as well as analyze the government work and progress which he defined as very drastic and poor strategies .He therefore decided to create a political party which would have the main objective of taking away the country from poverty ,famine and illiteracy .
He formed the Mauritian Militant Movement
Mauritian Militant Movement
The Mouvement Militant Mauricien is a socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM is currently led by Paul Bérenger....
(MMM) in 1970 and invited some of his friends to join in .With time ,the MMM became very powerful and most of alliances of the Labour Party joined together in the party .One famous figure was Sir Anerood Jugnauth who was a former minister in the cabinet of Ramgoolam .They joined hands and fought the general elections for the first time in 1976 .
The MMM was the majority party until Ramgoolam joined hands with the Social Democrates and formed a slighter majority of 2 seats higher. The MMM had 30 seats and the Labour Party 25 and Social Democrats obtained 7. They formed an alliance of 32 seats against 30. Berenger knew that Hindus being the majority would never want to have him as Prime Minister and therefore nominated Jugnauth to be elected as Prime Minister in case of victory.
He also did an alliance with then Hindu nationalist party ,the Mauritian Socialist Party. They went in alliance and won the 1982 general elections as a high power as they obtained all 62 seats in parliament .Berenger decided that it was time for some constitutional reforms.He proposed that the executive powers of the Prime Minister be spread out in the cabinet and that the cabinet will have the most executive power than the leader .
Anerood Jugnauth strongly disagreed with Berenger on this matter and resigned from his party and as Prime Minister just after dissolving the parliament .This was considered as a major turn and trick .Jugnauth was put under pressure to resign and before his term ended ,just few days before ,he dissolved the assembly and called for new elections .
He took the Mauritian Socialist Party members and merged with a new party and founded the Militant Socialist Movement
Militant Socialist Movement
The Militant Socialist Movement is a Centre-Right political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the 3rd largest political party in the National Assembly. It has in all 13 seats directly elected from the 2010 general elections...
,(MSM) .His new created party went for the general elections in alliance with the labour and social democrats .They won a comfortable majority and the MSM stayed to power until 1995 .
This showed the way the MSM was created and how it did survived .Jugnauth being long time its leader was Prime Minister for 16 years and President since 2003 .
election result
Every voter has three votes. The total number of votes cast divided by three (648,316) is lower than the actual number people voting (666,178), because not all of them cast three votes. Constituencies 1 to 20 are physically in the island of Mauritius and each has three elected members. Constituency 21 is the island of Rodrigues which has two elected members. The voters based in the island of Agalega and other islets are registered in constituency 1.Judicial branch
Mauritian law is an amalgam of French and British legal traditions. The Supreme CourtSupreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
—a chief justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
and five other judges—is the highest local judicial authority. There is an additional higher right of appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have been located in Mauritius since the end of 2008, as part of a plan to lower the costs of appeal.
Administrative divisions
Local government has nine administrative divisions, with municipal and town councils in urban areas and district and village councils in rural areas. The island of RodriguesRodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
forms the country's 10th administrative division. Other dependencies are Agalega Islands
Agalega Islands
The Agalega Islands are two islands in the Indian Ocean, lying north of Mauritius at and are governed by that country. The islands have a total area of 24 km² , although the official figure of 70 km² appears too high when compared with data from satellite images.The North Island is home...
and Cargados Carajos Shoals. The divisions are Black River, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, and Savanne.
International organization participation
ACCT,ACP,
AfDB
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
,
AOSIS,
C
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
,
CCC,
ECA,
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
,
G-77
Group of 77
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
,
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
,
IBRD
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
,
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
,
ICCt
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
,
ICFTU
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions , and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when it merged with the World Confederation of Labour to form the...
,
ICRM
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
,
IDA
International Development Association
The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
,
IFAD
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
,
IFC
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
,
IFRCS
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
,
ILO
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
,
IMF
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
,
IMO
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
,
Inmarsat
International Mobile Satellite Organization
The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
,
InOC
Indian Ocean Commission
The Indian Ocean Commission , known as the Commission de l'Océan Indien in French, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, France , and the Seychelles together to encourage cooperation. It was started in January 1984 under the General Victoria Agreement...
,
Intelsat
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
,
Interpol,
IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
,
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
,
ITU
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
,
NAM
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
,
OAU,
OPCW,
PCA
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
,
SADC
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
,
UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
,
UNCTAD
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
,
UNESCO,
UNIDO
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
,
UPU
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
,
WCL
World Confederation of Labour
The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
,
WFTU
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
,
WHO
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
,
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
,
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
,
WToO
World Tourism Organization
The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
,
WTO
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...