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12-11-2024
PORT LOUIS: People in Mauritius have casted their ballots in the parliamentary election that has been clouded by a wire-tapping scandal.
Polls opened at 7am (03:00 GMT) and closed at 6pm (14:00 GMT) on Sunday in the 12th election since independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. Results are expected on Monday.
There are about one million registered voters who will elect 62 members to the National Assembly, with the cost of living crisis topping the election issues in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Whichever party or coalition gets more than half the seats in parliament also wins the prime minister’s post.
Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth’s Militant Socialist Movement party as well as the opposition parties have promised to address the issue in one of the most prosperous nations in Africa.
Jugnauth is seeking election a month after a historic agreement that saw the UK cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius following a long-running dispute but the leak of secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats and journalists has dealt a blow to Jugnauth’s party.
In response to the scandal, the authorities on November 1 announced a social media ban until after the election but an uproar from the opposition and local media forced an embarrassing about-turn within 24 hours.
Campaigning has been tense, and police have been deployed at polling stations to ensure security, according to Electoral Commissioner Irfan Rahman, as media reports said concerns about electoral fraud were emerging.
The African Union has sent a 30-member observer mission to the nation touted as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Cost of living crisis
The country of about 1.3 million people markets itself as a link between Africa and Asia, deriving most of its revenues from a flourishing offshore financial sector, tourism and textiles.
It has forecast 6.5 percent economic growth this year compared with 7 percent last year but many voters are not feeling the benefits.
Jugnauth’s Alliance Lepep coalition has promised to raise minimum wages, increase pensions and reduce value-added tax on some basic goods.
It says it will use payments from the UK under an October agreement for Britain to cede the Chagos Islands while retaining the US-UK Diego Garcia airbase.
“The alliance led by the prime minister is selling the economic prosperity card, with promises of more money to different segments of the population,” said political analyst Subash Gobine.
The opposition, dominated by the Alliance of Change coalition led by Navin Ramgoolam, has also promised to increase pensions, introduce free transport and internet services and reduce fuel prices.
Earlier, Mauritius has cut access to all social media platforms until November 11, a day after its upcoming general election.
The move on Friday came amid a wiretapping scandal, and even as the opposition raised the alarm about an alleged ploy by the governing party to avoid defeat at the polls.
The Indian Ocean island nation’s communications regulator ordered all internet service providers to suspend access to social media until November 11 in response to “illegal postings”. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
