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Mauritius

Island country in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.

Government

The 1968 constitution, amended in 1969 and 1991, provides for a parliamentary form of government with a single-chamber legislative assembly of up to 71 members, 62 elected by universal adult suffrage, plus the speaker and up to eight ‘additional’ members, selected by the president in consultation with judiciary from among the runners up at the general election. The constitution was further amended in 1992, making the country a republic. The president is elected by the assembly for a five-year term and appoints a prime minister as head of government and a council of ministers, all of whom are collectively responsible to the assembly.

History

Uninhabited until the 16th century, the island was colonized on a small scale by the Dutch, who named it Mauricius after Prince Maurice of Nassau. They abandoned it in 1710, and in 1715 it was occupied by the French, who imported African slaves to work on their sugar-cane plantations. Mauritius was seized by Britain in 1810 and was formally ceded by the Treaty of Paris (1814). The abolition of slavery in 1833 brought about the importation of indentured labourers from India, whose descendants now make up about 70% of the island's population. In 1957 Mauritius achieved internal self-government, and full independence within the Commonwealth in 1968.

Succession of coalition governments

Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, leader of the Mauritius Labour Party (MLP), who had led the country since 1959, became its first prime minister. During the 1970s he led a succession of coalition governments.

Dissatisfaction with the government's economic policies led to Ramgoolam's defeat and the formation in 1982 of a Mauritius Militant Movement (MMM)-Mauritius Socialist Party (PSM) coalition government led by Anerood Jugnauth. Strains developed within the alliance, 12 MMM ministers resigned in 1983, and the coalition was dissolved. Jugnauth then founded the Mauritius Socialist Movement (MSM), and the PSM was incorporated in the new party. A general election later that year resulted in an MSM-MLP-Mauritius Social Democratic Party (PMSD) coalition, under Jugnauth. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was appointed governor general 1983. He died in 1985, and former finance minister Sir Veersamy Ringadoo replaced him.

On the strength of economic policies that cut inflation and unemployment, Jugnauth was re-elected 1987. In August 1990 an attempt by Jugnauth to make the country a republic was narrowly defeated in the legislative assembly. A MSM-MMM-OPR coalition, headed by Jugnauth, secured an overwhelming majority in the 1991 general election.

A republic within the Commonwealth

In March 1992 the country became a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth. Ringadoo became interim president, and was later succeeded by Cassam Uteem. In 1993 the MMM split, those members still within the governing coalition formed the Renouveau Militant Mauricien (RMM), while remaining members formed a pact with the MLP. The MLP-MMM coalition secured a landslide election victory in December 1995 and Navin Ramgoolam became prime minister.

Foreign policy

Mauritius, which has no standing army, has pursued a moderately non-aligned foreign policy (see non-aligned movement) during recent years.

Leadership changes

General elections in Mauritius in mid-September 2000 were won by an opposition alliance, led by a former prime minister, Anerood Jugnauth. In February 2002, President Cassam Uteem resigned after refusing to implement an anti-terrorism bill passed by the National Assembly. The Chief Justice, Ariranga Pillay, briefly served as acting president before parliament elected Karl Offmann to the post.

In 2003, Jugnauth was succeeded by his son Pravind, who the same year handed over to Paul Berenger. At the next general election, in July 2005, Berenger was defeated by former prime minister Navin Ramgoolam.

Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, Jacques-Henri British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago dodo Indian Ocean

Port Louis Ramgoolam, Navin Chandra Réunion Tromelin Island Vavrinecz, Mauritius