The Indian Ocean island state of Mauritius, some 965 kilometers (600 miles) east of Madagascar, is 2,045 square kilometers (790 square miles) in area, with an ethnically heterogeneous population of 1.2 million. Hindus account for 52 percent of all Mauritians, with the next largest group, Roman Catholic Creoles of mixed African and European or Asian ancestry, at 27 percent. Muslims make up 16 percent of the population, Chinese about 3 percent, and finally Catholic Franco-Mauritians at 2 percent. English is the official language, but French is the main spoken and written language. Despite the lack of a common culture and religion, relative ethnic collaboration and political stability have existed.

Mauritius is a democratic state based on the Westminster model, with a unicameral parliament elected every five years by universal adult suffrage, and the country has a competitive multiparty system. The main island is divided into twenty three-seat constituencies, and the three candidates with the most votes in each...