Mauritius: Opposition Leader Appointed Prime Minister After Election Win

Improve the News Foundation -
0:00
/1861

Facts

  • Navin Ramgoolam, the leader of the opposition Alliance du Changement coalition, was appointed prime minister of Mauritius on Tuesday.[1]
  • The son of the country's first post-independence leader will be in office for his fourth five-year term as he previously served as prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and between 2005 and 2014. A date for his swearing-in ceremony has yet to be set.[2][3]
  • This comes as his coalition won 62.6% of the vote in Sunday's general election — and 60 of the 70 seats in parliament. Meanwhile, the Lepep alliance got 28% of the vote and now has only two seats, compared to 42 after the 2019 election.[4][5]
  • There were at least 1M people registered to vote, with the electoral commission reporting a voter turnout of about 80%.[3][4]
  • On Monday, outgoing Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth conceded defeat, telling reporters that his Lepep coalition was 'heading towards a huge defeat' as 'the people have chosen another team to lead the country.'[5][6]
  • Last month, Britain agreed to give sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius — a development thought to be favorable to Jugnauth. However, a subsequent wiretapping scandal before the vote and a corresponding social media ban resulted in pre-election turmoil.[7]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]Bloomberg, [3]Associated Press, [4]BBC News, [5]Al Jazeera, [6]Verity and [7]Africanews.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CNBC Africa. During his tenure as prime minister, Jugnauth was able to maintain strong economic management and provide a secure environment for investors while securing a historic victory in reclaiming the Chagos Islands from the UK. Now that the country has chosen another team, the prime minister respects this decision.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Semafor. Though the economy had rebounded year-on-year, Jugnauth had betrayed public trust through government-sanctioned illegal surveillance of citizens, opposition members, and journalists — demonstrating authoritarian behavior. Now that he's no longer in power, he must face the consequences of suppressing information and dissent.