Government and Politics of Mauritius

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 - Alliance Lepep (MSM-led) 37, Labour Party-MMM Alliance 19, OPR 2; appointed seats - Alliance Lepep 4, Labour Party-MMM Alliance 2, OPR 2. Following the November 2024 general elections, the Alliance du Changement, led by the Labour Party (PTr) in coalition with the MMM and other partners, secured a landslide victory, winning approximately 60 percent of the vote and capturing around 60 seats in the National Assembly, while the incumbent MSM-led alliance suffered a significant defeat.

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

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

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

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