PREVIEW
Navin Ramgoolam, looks set to return as Prime Minister for the third time after almost 10 years in opposition
Mauritius is set to become the latest African state to throw out its government after Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth conceded that his governing L'Alliance Lepep was heading towards a ‘huge defeat’ in Sunday’s elections.
Results are yet to emerge, but Navin Ramgoolam’s Parti Travailliste is widely expected to claim a majority of the 62 seats up for grabs under a first-past-the-post system, with the remaining eight allocated under what is dubbed the ‘best loser’ system. Ramgoolam will become Prime Minister for the third time after almost 10 years in opposition.
Ramgoolam or the Jugnauth family have held the premiership for the last 30 years (AC Vol 41 No 18, Disproportional).
Jugnauth had hoped to cash in on an historic agreement last month in which the United Kingdom agree to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in what marked a major diplomatic victory for Mauritius following a near 60-year dispute dating back to the Cold War (AC Vol 65 No 21, Austerity hits foreign policy reset).
But those hopes were dashed when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats and journalists began to be leaked online last month, prompting the government to announce a social media ban until after the election only to backtrack following public outcry.
The leaks, combined with a cost-of-living crisis facing many of Mauritius’s 1.3 million population, appear to have been decisive.
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