Economic challenges

Mauritius became an independent state within the Commonwealth on March 12, 1968, with a governor-general on the island representing the British monarch as the head of state. In the first years of independence, Mauritius attempted to diversify its economy beyond the production of sugar but made limited progress. The combined effects, however, of Cyclone Claudette in late 1979, falling world sugar prices in the early 1980s, and political protest and social unrest generated by those who saw no economic future on the island led the government to initiate a vigorous and highly successful program of economic diversification. In 1991 the legislature voted to transition to a republican form of government, and on March 12, 1992, Mauritius became a republic, with a president as head of state.

As Mauritius approached the new millennium, the problems facing the country remained, for the most part, economic in nature. The poorer people in Mauritius—largely Creoles—did not share in the fruits of economic development in the late 20th century. This led to two large and unexpected outbursts of rioting and social unrest in 1999, the first real domestic disturbances since independence. Unemployment rose at the beginning of the 21st century, in part because of the detrimental effects of international trade on textile and sugar manufacturing. The government responded by focusing the country’s economic strategies on the development of more lucrative sectors—information technology and business and financial services.

Piracy in the 21st century

An uptick in piracy in the Indian Ocean in the early 21st century was a threat to the island’s economy as well as international commerce. In 2010 the country deployed specially trained National Coast Guard commandos to help combat the threat of piracy. Mauritius also signed agreements with the European Union in 2011 and the United Kingdom in 2012 for the use of Mauritian courts to prosecute alleged pirates caught in the region by European military patrols. The first group of suspected pirates to be tried arrived in early 2013.

Ongoing Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute

The sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago had long been a point of disagreement between Britain, which administered the territory, and Mauritius, which maintained a claim to it. The archipelago was the subject of several court cases in the 21st century regarding the former inhabitants’ right to return and a proposal for the creation of a protected marine reserve around it. Of note was a case at the International Court of Justice. During the proceedings, Mauritius stated that it had been coerced into giving up the islands of the Chagos Archipelago in exchange for its independence in 1968. The court’s ruling, issued in 2019, found that Britain’s decolonization of Mauritius had not been lawfully completed and that Britain should end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as soon as possible. The court’s ruling, however, was advisory opinion and not legally binding. (See also Diego Garcia; British Indian Ocean Territory.)

Leadership by Navin Ramgoolam, Anerood and Pravind Jugnauth, and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

Meanwhile, National Assembly elections were held on May 5, 2010. The alliance led by incumbent Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam of the Mauritius Labour Party (MLP) was victorious, in part because of Ramgoolam’s success in promoting stable economic development.

Ideological clashes between Ramgoolam and the country’s president, Sir Anerood Jugnauth—a long-serving politician in the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) who became president in 2003 and had also previously served as prime minister (1982–95 and 2000–03)—surfaced in early 2012, and Jugnauth resigned from the presidency in March. He then led a coalition in opposition of the MLP, formed by the MSM and the main opposition party, the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM).

Political partnerships were rearranged in 2014, with the alliance between the ruling MLP and the Mauritian Social Democratic Party (Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate; PMSD) breaking up and the MLP pursuing a new alliance with the MMM. The MLP-MMM alliance intended to pass constitutional reforms, which included provisions to increase the role of president and make that position directly elected, rather than one that was elected by the National Assembly. A new coalition, which included the PMSD and the MSM and was known as Lepep, was against such changes. The National Assembly was dissolved in October, and new elections were planned. When the polls were held on December 10, 2014, Lepep soundly defeated the MLP-MMM alliance, the former taking 47 of the 62 elected seats and the latter winning only 13. Ramgoolam lost his legislative seat and was succeeded by Jugnauth as prime minister later in December.

History was made in 2015 when the National Assembly elected the country’s first female president, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim. She was sworn in to the primarily ceremonial post on June 5. Her tenure was cut short, however, when she was accused of having engaged in financial misconduct in 2018. She denied the allegations but nonetheless offered to resign, stepping down on March 23, 2018.

Meanwhile, Jugnauth resigned in January 2017, handing the premiership to his son, Pravind Jugnauth. Although the younger Jugnauth was the leader of the MSM, the largest party in the Lepep coalition, and was therefore next in line for the position, the maneuver prompted criticism from the opposition. The elder Jugnauth remained active in government, stepping into the new position of “Minister Mentor” as well as being assigned other ministerial portfolios.

The run-up to the 2019 elections saw a reshuffling of alliances. The MSM was now part of the Morisien Alliance, while the PMSD was part of the National Alliance. The Morisien Alliance won 38 of the 62 elected seats in the November 7 polls, securing the prime minister post for Pravind Jugnauth. The National Alliance won 14 of the elected seats. The next month, the National Assembly elected Prithvirajsing Roopun, former minister of arts and culture, to the presidency.