Mauritius Dissolves Parliament Ahead of Elections
Mauritius’s prime minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, announced the dissolution of parliament on October 6. (Wikimedia Commons)
Mauritius’s prime minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, announced the dissolution of parliament on October 6 and set a date for a general election on Nov 7. This move is in accordance with the country’s constitution and position as one of the most stable and free democracies in Africa.
Mauritius holds elections every five years; the last vote occurred in 2014. By law, the country has 30 to 150 days to organize elections following the prime minister’s dissolution of Parliament. The Indian Ocean island nation hosts an open, multiparty system with free and fair elections, which has allowed for contestation and alternation of power. The president appoints the prime minister from the party in the legislature which receives the most votes. Mauritius is considered “very free” according to Freedom House’s metrics, and its government is recognized as mostly transparent and uncorrupt, but some issues remain.
Despite the regular transition of power among parties, Mauritian politics has been dominated by just a few Hindu families since the country gained independence in 1968, and there have been several accusations of nepotism. Though the country has held ten elections since 1968, only five individuals have held the position of prime minister.
Jugnauth, the current prime minister, will be seeking another term, but his popularity is in question as he took over the role from his father, Anerood Jugnauth, in 2017 rather than being directly elected. This move in 2017 sparked opposition protests, though the president, whose role is mostly ceremonial, ultimately approved the constitutionally-legal transition.
Paul Berenger, a former-prime minister and a member of the main opposition party, the Mauritian Militant Movement, remarked, “Everywhere on the island it can be seen that the population is against the 'father and son deal' which has not gone through an election.”
Further, in September, the minister of justice resigned after journalists carried out an investigation implicating him in corruption and money laundering. The journalists involved were arrested and questioned but ultimately released. Still, Mauritius is known for its freedom of expression and relatively low corruption. The country has an extensive anti-corruption system, and only five percent of Mauritians have reported having to pay a bribe in accessing public services (compared to an average 28 percent across 35 other African countries). Yet 62 percent of Mauritians think that corruption is on the rise.
Ultimately, the Mauritian public will decide whether or not to keep Jugnauth in power as a reflection of whether they are pleased with the government’s handling of corruption and nepotism. The small nation has one of the highest per capita incomes in Africa and will hopefully remain a model of democratic stability and “a rainbow nation that necessitated adjustment, tolerance, and respect for different faiths and cultures,” in the words of the current prime minister.