Mauritius Holds An Election With The Ruling Party Seeking A New Term

People in Mauritius voted Sunday for a new Parliament with ruling party seeking to secure a second five-year term for Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in one of Africa's most stable democracies.

Jugnauth's government has faced criticism recently after it banned social media websites following a wiretapping scandal in which recorded conversations involving politicians, businesspeople, activists and journalists leaked and were published online. ban was lifted after a few days but has raised concern among opposition and civil society.

At least 1 million people were registered to vote in 12th elections since Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968.

An alliance of parties led by Jugnauth’s center-left Militant Socialist Movement won a majority of seats in Parliament to cement his leership in 2019. He is being challenged by opposition leer Navin Ramgoolam’s Alliance for Change.

Mauritius, which sits about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) off Africa’s east coast, has developed a successful ecomy underpinned by its finance, tourism and agricultural sectors.

island, popular for its idyllic tropical beaches, ranks second in Africa behind Seychelles on Human Development Index, which ranks quality of life for citizens and takes into account life expectancy, access to education and per capita income.

World Bank has described Mauritius as a “beacon of success for sub-Saharan Africa” and says it has achieved remarkable ecomic growth since independence. It was briefly rated a high-income country in 2020, before COVID-19 pandemic set back its tourism sector.

Mauritians are voting for 62 seats in Parliament, and party or alliance with a majority forms government and chooses prime minister. Ar eight lawmakers are minated by Electoral Supervisory Council.