Mauritius

Mauritius: Opposition Leader Appointed Prime Minister After Election Win

NOV 12 2024·Updated NOV 13 2024

Story

Above: Former and new Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam waits for election results in Triolet, Mauritius, on Nov. 11, 2024. Image credit: Li Yahui/Contributor/Xinhua via Getty Images

The Facts

Navin Ramgoolam, the leader of the opposition Alliance du Changement coalition, was appointed prime minister of Mauritius on Tuesday.
Reuters
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.
Bloomberg.com
ap
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.
BBC News
Al Jazeera
There were at least 1M people registered to vote, with the electoral commission reporting a voter turnout of about 80%.
ap
BBC News
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."
Al Jazeera
Verity
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.
Africanews

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

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.

CNBC

Narrative B

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.