Mauritius Government - 2024

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius

conventional short form: Mauritius

local long form: Republic of Mauritius

local short form: Mauritius

etymology: island named after Prince Maurice VAN NASSAU, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, in 1598

note: pronounced mah-rish-us

Government type

parliamentary republic

Capital

name: Port Louis

geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: 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

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

Independence

12 March 1968 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence and Republic Day, 12 March (1968 & 1992); note - became independent and a republic on the same date in 1968 and 1992 respectively

Constitution

history: several previous; latest adopted 12 March 1968

amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty of the state, fundamental rights and freedoms, citizenship, or the branches of government, requires approval in a referendum by at least three-fourths majority of voters followed by a unanimous vote by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; amended many times, last in 2016

Legal system

civil legal system based on French civil law with some elements of English common law

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: President Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (since 2 December 2019); Vice President Marie Cyril EDDY Boissézon (since 2 December 2019)

head of government: Prime Minister Pravind JUGNAUTH (since 23 January 2017); note - Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH stepped down on 23 January 2017 in favor of his son, Pravind Kumar JUGNAUTH, who was then appointed prime minister; following 7 November 2019 parliamentary elections, Pravind JUGNAUTH remained prime minister and home affairs minister and also became defense minister

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers (Council of Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for 5-year renewable terms; election last held on 7 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister who have the majority support in the National Assembly

election results:
2019: Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (MSM) elected president by the National Assembly - unanimous vote

2015: Ameenah GURIB-FAKIM (independent) elected president by the National Assembly - unanimous vote; note - GURIB-FAKIM, who was Mauritius' first female president, resigned on 23 March 2018; acting presidents served from March 2018 until ROOPUN's appointment in 2019

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (70 seats maximum; 62 members directly elected multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and up to 8 seats allocated to non-elected party candidates by the Office of Electoral Commissioner; members serve a 5-year term)

elections: last held on 7 November 2019 (next to be held by late 2024)

election results: percent of vote by party - Mauritian Alliance 2019 (MSM, ML, MAG, and PM) 37.7%, National Alliance (PTR, PMSD, and MJCB) 32.8%, MMM 20.6%, OPR 1%, Other 7.9%; elected seats by party as of November 2019 - the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) 38 seats, the Mauritius Labour Party (PTR) or (MLP) 14, Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) 8, and the Rodrigues People's Organization (OPR) 2; composition as of July 2022 - men 56, women 14, percent of women 20% (2019)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Mauritius (consists of the chief justice, a senior puisne judge, and 24 puisne judges); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal

judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister; senior puisne judge appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice; other puisne judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Judicial and Legal Commission, a 4-member body of judicial officials including the chief justice; all judges serve until retirement at age 67

subordinate courts: lower regional courts known as District Courts, Court of Civil Appeal; Court of Criminal Appeal; Public Bodies Appeal Tribunal

Political parties and leaders

Alliance Morisien (Mauritian Alliance 2019; coalition includes PM, MSM, ML, and MAG) [Pravind JUGNAUTH] 
Jean-Claude Barbier Movement (Mouvement Jean-Claude Barbier) or MJCB [Jean-Claude Barbier]
Mauritian Militant Movement (Mouvement Militant Mauricien) or MMM [Paul BERENGER]
Mauritian Social Democratic Party (Parti Mauricien Social Democrate) or PMSD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]
Mauritius Labor Party (Parti Travailliste) or PTR or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]
Militant Platform or PM (Plateforme Militante) [Steven OBEEGADOO]
Militant Socialist Movement (Mouvement Socialist Mauricien) or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH]
Muvman Liberater or ML [Ivan COLLENDAVELLOO]
National Alliance (coalition includes PTR, PMSD, and MJCB) [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]
Patriotic Movement (Mouvement Patriotique) or MAG [Alan GANOO]
Rodrigues Peoples Organization (Organisation du Peuple Rodriguais) or OPR [Serge CLAIR]

note: only parties with seats in the National Assembly listed

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, COMESA, CPLP (associate), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SAARC (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Purmanund JHUGROO (since 7 July 2021)

chancery: 1709 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491

FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983

email address and website:
mauritius.embassy@verizon.net; washingtonemb@govmu.org

https://mauritius-washington.govmu.org/Pages/index.aspx

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Henry V. JARDINE (since 22 February 2023); note - also accredited to Seychelles

embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Avenue, Port Louis

mailing address: 2450 Port Louis Place, Washington, DC 20521-2450

telephone: [230] 202-4400

FAX: [230] 208-9534

email address and website:
PTLConsular@state.gov

https://mu.usembassy.gov/

Flag description

four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green; red represents self-determination and independence, blue the Indian Ocean surrounding the island, yellow has been interpreted as the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future, and green can symbolize either agriculture or the lush vegetation of the island

note: while many national flags consist of three - and in some cases five - horizontal bands of color, the flag of Mauritius is the world's only national flag to consist of four horizontal color bands

National symbol(s)

dodo bird, Trochetia Boutoniana flower; national colors: red, blue, yellow, green

National anthem

name: "Motherland"

lyrics/music: Jean Georges PROSPER/Philippe GENTIL

note: adopted 1968

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: Aapravasi Ghat; Le Morne Cultural Landscape