Mauritius
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 constituency win. Another two seats are allocated to the smaller island of Rodrigues. In addition, upwards of eight additional seats are allocated to so-called best losers, defeated candidates in the multiseat electoral districts, by ethnic and religious affiliation, in order to correct any imbalance in the representation of the various communities. The president is head of state, but constitutional power is vested in a prime minister and cabinet. A six-person Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority. Civil liberties remain fairly secure and the rule of law prevails.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)The Mauritian Labour Party (LP) was formed in 1936 and its leader, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900–1985), a Hindu, became the first prime minister of an independent Mauritius in 1968. Soon afterwards Paul Bérenger (b. 1945) helped found the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM). Ramgoolam governed until 1982, when he lost to an alliance of the MMM and a breakaway from the LP formed by Anerood Jugnauth (b. 1930). Jugnauth, who became prime minister, would rule until 1995, forming his own party, the Mouvement Socialist Mauricien (MSM). In 1995 Jugnauth went down to defeat to an LP-MMM alliance, headed by Navin Ramgoolam (b. 1947), the son of Sir Seewoosagur. In mid-1997 the MMM severed its connection with the coalition, leaving Ramgoolam to govern alone.
In the 2000 election the main contenders were two electoral blocs: the ruling LP and its ally, the Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval (PMXD) faced off against an MSM-MMM alliance. Reflecting the ethnic balance of power, both coalitions were led by Hindu politicians. Ramgoolam was challenged by Jugnauth, whereas two Franco-Mauritians, Xavier-Luc Duval of the PMXD and Bérenger of the MMM, played the role of "junior partners."
The MSM-MMM carried fifty-four of the directly elected parliamentary seats. When another eight "best loser" seats were distributed, the MSM-MMM gained four, for a final total of fifty-eight, and the LP-PMXD an additional two, bringing up their number to eight.
The two opposition leaders had agreed that they would take turns as prime minister, with Jugnauth governing until 2003, followed by Bérenger, who thus became the first non-Hindu prime minister.
Tourism, the sugar industry, and manufactured goods from factories are the country's main sources of income. The gross domestic product in 2003 stood at U.S. $5.5 billion, or over $4,484 per capita.
Bibliography
Bowman, Larry W. Mauritius: Democracy and Development in the Indian Ocean. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1991.
Dommen, Edward, and Bridget Dommen. Mauritius: An Island of Success. Oxford, UK: James Currey, 1999.
Dubey, Ajay. Government and Politics in Mauritius. Delhi, India: Kalinga Publications, 1997.
Eriksen, Thomas Hylland. Common Denominators: Ethnicity, Nation-Building and Compromise in Mauritius. New York: University Press, 1998.
Jackson, Ashley. War and Empire in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean. London: Palgrave, 2001.
Srebrnik, Henry. "Can an Ethnically-Based Civil Society Succeed? The Case of Mauritius." Journal of Contemporary African Studies 18, no. 1 (2000):7–20.
Srebrnik, Henry. "'Full of Sound and Fury': Three Decades of Parliamentary Politics in Mauritius." Journal of Southern African Studies 28, no. 2 (2002):277–289.
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