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Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island, as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion, are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres.
The president of the Republic of Mauritius is the head of state of the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius is a parliamentary republic, and the president functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National Assembly as set out by the Constitution of Mauritius. The current office-holder is Dharam Gokhool. He was elected by the National Assembly on 6 December 2024. The president's official residence is the State House.
The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. In its north are the Salomon Islands, Nelsons Island and Peros Banhos; towards its south-west are the Three Brothers, Eagle Islands, Egmont Islands and Danger Island; southeast of these is Diego Garcia, by far the largest island. All are low-lying atolls, save for a few extremely small instances, set around lagoons.
The Chagossians are an Afro-Asian ethnic group originating from freed African slaves brought to the Chagos Islands, specifically Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, and the Salomon island chain, in the late 18th century as well as people of Asian descent. Under international law, they are the indigenous people of the Chagos archipelago. Most Chagossians now live in Mauritius, Seychelles, and the United Kingdom after being forcibly removed by the British government in the late 1960s and early 1970s so that Diego Garcia, the island where most Chagossians lived, could serve as the location for a United States military base. Today, no Chagossians are allowed to live on the island of Diego Garcia or anywhere in the Chagos archipelago, despite many of the islands they used to inhabit being over 160 km away from Diego Garcia.
Agaléga is a dependency of Mauritius, as defined by the Constitution of Mauritius, which consists of two outer islands located in the Indian Ocean, about 1,050 km (650 mi) north of Mauritius Island.
Navinchandra Ramgoolam is a Mauritian politician and doctor serving as prime minister of Mauritius for the third time following the 2024 general election, after the landslide victory of his coalition Alliance du Changement. He is a prominent figure in the political history of Mauritius, having served multiple terms as the Prime Minister of the country. He is also the leader of the Labour Party.
The United Kingdom, at the request of the United States, began expelling the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago in 1968, concluding its forced deportations on 27 April 1973 with the expulsion of the remaining Chagossians on the Peros Banhos atoll. The inhabitants, known at the time as the Ilois, are today known as Chagos Islanders or Chagossians.
Mauritius – United States relations are bilateral relations between Mauritius and the United States.
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islands, many very small, amounting to a total land area of 60 square kilometres. The largest and most southerly island is Diego Garcia, 27 square kilometres, the site of a Joint Military Facility of the United Kingdom and the United States. Official administration is remote from London, though the local capital is often regarded as being on Diego Garcia.
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth is a Mauritian politician who was one of the former prime ministers, succeeding his father in 2017, Aneerood Jugnauth, where he led the cabinet until 2019.He then became Prime Minister (PM) again in 2019 following the victory of his coalition, L'Alliance Morisien, where he remained as PM until 2024, where he and his coalition, L'Alliance Lepep faced a humiliating defeat in the Mauritius 2024 General Elections.
Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago was disputed between Mauritius, Maldives and the United Kingdom. Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the United Kingdom claim is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. On 22 May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution declaring that the archipelago was part of Mauritius; 116 countries voted in favour of Mauritius while six opposed it.
Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, GOSK was a Mauritian poet, political scientist, philosopher, and biographer.
Jagdish Dharamchand Koonjul, GCSK, GOSK, is the Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the United Nations, and was President of the United Nations Security Council in January 2002.
Prithvirajsing (Pradeep) Roopun GCSK is a Mauritian politician who served as the seventh president of Mauritius from 2019 to 2024.
General elections were held in Mauritius on 10 November 2024. The election was called after the government reached a deal with the United Kingdom to end the Chagos Archipelago dispute. Shortly before the election, a wire-tapping scandal surfaced. The government responded by implementing a social media ban that was to last until after the election but was instead lifted a day later following public outcry. Alliances that contested the election include Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth's Alliance Lepep and former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam's Alliance du Changement. Key campaign issues included the cost of living, crime and corruption. A total of 1,002,857 registered voters were eligible to vote. Votes were counted on 11 November, with turnout at 79%.
Keerteecoomar Ruhee, more commonly known as Kailash Ruhee is a Mauritian politician.
Dharambeer Gokhool is a Mauritian politician who is the current President of Mauritius, serving since December 2024. He is a member of the Labour Party and has previously served as Minister of Education and Minister of Industry, Science and Research.
A presidential election was held in Mauritius on 7 December 2024 to elect the next president.
References
- ↑ Arora, Sumit. "Pritivirajsing Roopun elected as new President of Mauritius by parliament". Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ↑ "Dharam Gokhool elected Mauritian president". Xinhua News Agency. 6 December 2024.
- ↑ "Cyclone Belal: Flooding as storm hits Réunion and heads for Mauritius". BBC News. 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ↑ "UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius". BBC News. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ↑ "Mauritius govt bans access to social media ahead of parliamentary polls". Africanews. 2024-11-01. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ↑ "Mauritius reverses decision to block access to social media". Africanews. 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ↑ "Mauritius opposition wins country's election by a landslide". Associated Press. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ↑ "Mauritius issues arrest warrant against former central bank governor". Al Jazeera. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ↑ "Décès de l'ancien ministre Joseph Tsang Mang Kin". Le Defi Media Group (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-16.
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