Opposition sweeps to landslide victory

An opposition alliance in Mauritius was swept to power in a landslide general election victory on Monday. Announcing the final results late on Tuesday, Electoral Commissioner Irsam Rahman said the alliance of the Mouvement Socialiste Mauricien (MSM) and Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) had won 54 of the 62 seats in parliament.

Hours after outgoing Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam accepted defeat, the alliance announced that MSM leader Sir Anerood Jugnauth would assume the premiership for the next three years and then hand over to his MMM partner, Paul Berenger.

Ramgoolam’s Labour Party-led coalition won six seats, and a tiny party from neighbouring Rodriques island won two seats. Rahman said turnout on Monday had averaged 80 percent of the island’s 779,431 registered voters.
Newspapers in the Indian Ocean island of 2.1 million people said Sir Aenerood was expected to announce a new government by the end the week. Ramgoolam called the election last month with just months to go before the end of his government’s five-year term.

In a victory speech carried by the daily, ‘L’Express’, Sir Aenrood, who has previously served as prime minister, said: “In the new team, there will be no question of the allowing decisions on important issues to linger longer than six months. We have demonstrated that we are worthy of your confidence.” He said one of his first priorities would be to encourage more foreign investment in Mauritius.

He told another daily, ‘Le Mauricien’: “This victory will enable the MSM-MMM to keep our electoral promises on a new government programme. This large victory will also enable us to guarantee the political stability of this country for the next five years.”

The economy was a key issue in the month-long election campaign which officials told IRIN had passed off without violence. Sir Aenerood also pledged to bolster the economy, create new jobs and combat fraud, and corruption and improve the health and education services.

Although his alliance lost the election, Ramgoolam, son of the first leader of independent Mauritius, the late Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, was nevertheless himself elected to parliament in his constituency in the north of the island. Conceding defeat, he pledged to “play my role in the opposition and continue to work for the improvement of the country”.