Government and Politics

Government and Politics of Mauritius

Government structure, leadership, capital, military, and national symbols of Mauritius.

Government Structure

Constitutional foundations, branches, parties, and leadership.

Government Type: parliamentary democracy
Administrative Divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Legal System: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Citizenship: citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 out of the previous 7 years including the last 12 months
Executive Branch: chief of state: President Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (since 2 December 2019) and Vice President Marie Cyril Eddy BOISSÉZON (since 2 December 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 12 November 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president and responsible to the National Assembly election results: Prithvirajsing ROOPUN elected president and Marie Cyril Eddy BOISSÉZON elected vice president on 2 December 2019; Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM appointed prime minister following the Labour Party-led alliance victory in the November 2024 general elections, returning him to the post he previously held from 2005 to 2014
Legislative Branch: Unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected by popular vote through a first-past-the-post system in multi-member constituencies, and up to 8 seats allocated by the Electoral Supervisory Commission under a "best loser" system designed to ensure fair representation of ethnic and religious communities; members serve five-year terms) Elections: Last held on 10 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024) Election results: Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MSM-led Morisien Alliance 42, PTr-MMM alliance 14, OPR 2; appointed seats - MSM-led alliance 4, PTr-MMM alliance 2, OPR 2
Judicial Branch: Supreme Court
Political Parties: Alliance Sociale or AS [leader NA]; Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]
Head of State: President Prithvirajsing ROOPUN and Vice President Marie Cyril Eddy BOISSÉZON
Head of Government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: Last held on 10 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Election Results: Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MSM-led Morisien Alliance 42, PTr-MMM alliance 14, OPR 2; appointed seats - MSM-led alliance 4, PTr-MMM alliance 2, OPR 2
Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
International Organization Participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.: chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
U.S. Diplomatic Representation: chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534

Capital City

Seat of government and political history.

Capital City: Port Louis
Location: 20 09 S, 57 29 E
Time Difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
History: named after LOUIS XV, who was king of France in 1736 when the port became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning stop for French ships traveling between Europe and Asia

Embassy and Diplomatic Representation

Embassy location and contact details.

U.S. Embassy Mauritius 4th floor of the Rogers House on John F. Kennedy Street Port Louis, Mauritius Emergency after-hours telephone: ( 230) 5 253-3641 Telephone: ( 230) 202-4400 Facsimile: ( 230) 208-9534 Email: ptlconsular@state.gov

Military

Branches, service obligations, expenditures, and manpower.

Military Branches: no regular military forces; Mauritius Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard

National Symbols

Flag, anthem, and other symbols of national identity.

National Flag

Flag Symbolism: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
Flag History: The red stripe represents the struggle for freedom and independence, the blue stripe stands for the color of the Indian Ocean. The yellow stripe symbolizes the new light of independence, and the green stripe represents agriculture and symbolizes the color of lush, green Mauritius throughout the year.
Date of Adoption: 9 January 1968

National Anthem

Anthem Lyrics (English): Glory to thee, Motherland, O motherland of mine. Sweet is thy beauty, Sweet is thy fragrance, Around thee we gather As one people, As one nation, For peace, justice and liberty. Beloved country, may God bless thee ever and ever.
Anthem History: The music of the National Anthem of Mauritius was written by Philippe Oh San (former band master of the Mauritius Police Force).The lyrics written by Jean Georges Prosper.But on official records,it has been stated that Mr Philippe Gentil wrote the music.

Other National Symbols

Coat of Arms
(a) for arms- (i) quarterly azure and or, in the first quarter a lymphad of the last (ii) in the second , 3 palm trees eradicated vert, (iii) in the third, a key in pale the wards downwards gules, and (iv) in the issuant, from the base a pile, and ain chief a mullet argent and (b) for the supporters- (i) on the dexter side, a dodo per bend sinister embattled gules and argent, and (ii) on the sinister side, a sambur deer per head embattled argent and gules, each supporting a sugar cane erect proper, (c) with the motto ‘Stella Clavisque Maris Indici”
Colors
Colour Code Azur Royal Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue) Or Gold (Metallic Gold) Vert Emerald Green (Pantone Green) Gules Warm Red (Pantone 2X) Argent Silver (Metallic Silver)
National Flower
Adopted: March 12, 1992
Named after the famous French botanist, Louis Bouton, it is endemic to Mauritius and is found in only one locality in the wild. It is a magnificent shrub reaching about 2-3 metres in height, with reddish-orange flowers. Adapted to dry condition, it commonly flowers from June to October.
Motto
Star and Key of the Indian Ocean

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