Mauritius' opposition leader, Navin Ramgoolam, declared a landslide election victory for his Alliance of Change on Tuesday after Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth acknowledged a significant loss for his ruling coalition.
Ramgoolam, who has previously served two terms as prime minister, addressed an enthusiastic crowd in his constituency, celebrating what he described as a sweeping win across all parliamentary seats on the island.
"I hope PKJ steps down soon. He lost 60-0," Ramgoolam stated, referencing Jugnauth by his initials.
The opposition leader, 77, expressed his gratitude to supporters, saying, “The strength of the people is greater than any dictatorship,” to resounding cheers and applause.
Mauritius’ National Assembly has 60 parliamentary seats on the island and two additional seats on Rodrigues, with another eight assigned through the “best loser” system.
Although official results have not yet been released, Jugnauth admitted on Monday that his Lepep alliance, led by the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), was facing a significant defeat in Sunday’s election.
This winner-takes-all system often leads to a single coalition dominating the 70-seat parliament. Jugnauth, in office since 2017, celebrated last month over a milestone deal with Britain, which granted Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.
However, the election was marred by a wire-tapping scandal after leaked recordings of conversations involving politicians, diplomats, civil society members, and journalists surfaced online, impacting the political climate in one of Africa’s wealthiest and most stable democracies.
