Opposition forces in Mauritius have achieved an unprecedented electoral victory, securing all available parliamentary seats in what observers are calling a seismic shift in the Indian Ocean nation’s political landscape.
The Alliance for Change coalition, led by former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, has won all 60 contested seats announced so far, dealing a crushing defeat to incumbent Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s government.
‘The population has decided’
Mr Jugnauth conceded defeat on Monday before the final tallies were complete, as results from the country’s 21 constituencies showed a clear sweep for the opposition.
“The population has decided to choose another team. I wish good luck to the country,” he said in a brief statement.
The defeat marks the end of Mr Jugnauth’s tenure, which began in 2017. His administration had been plagued by corruption allegations in recent months after damaging recordings of politicians and business figures emerged online.
Return of former leader
The landslide victory paves the way for Mr Ramgoolam’s return to the prime minister’s office, a position he previously held for two terms – from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.
His Alliance for Change coalition’s sweeping victory represents one of the most decisive electoral results in Mauritian history, with the governing Militant Socialist Movement failing to retain a single directly elected seat.
Final official results, including two remaining seats from Rodrigues Island, are expected to be announced on Tuesday, though they will not affect the opposition’s commanding majority.
The scale of the victory suggests a strong public rebuke of the previous government and potentially signals a significant shift in direction for the island nation of 1.3 million people.
This historic result represents more than just a change of government – it’s a wholesale rejection of the incumbent administration. The complete sweep of parliamentary seats by the opposition is unprecedented in Mauritian politics and suggests deep public dissatisfaction with the previous government’s performance.
The corruption allegations that emerged in recent months appear to have been the final straw for many voters, but the scale of the victory suggests broader underlying issues with the Jugnauth administration’s governance.
