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.
Politics of Mauritius takes place in a framework of a parliamentary democracy. The separation of powers is among the three branches of the Government of Mauritius, namely the legislative, the executive and the Judiciary, is embedded in the Constitution of Mauritius. Being a Westminster system of government, Mauritius's unicameral house of parliament officially, the National Assembly, is supreme. It elects the President and the Prime Minister. While the President is voted by a single majority of votes in the house, the Prime Minister is the MP who supports a majority in the house. The President is the Head of State while the prime minister has full executive power and is the Head of Government who is assisted by a council of Ministers. Mauritius has a multi-party system. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Mauritius a "full democracy" in 2022.
Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.
Elections Canada is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal elections and referendums. Elections Canada is an office of the Parliament of Canada, and reports directly to Parliament rather than to the Government of Canada.
Rodrigues is a 108 km2 (42 sq mi) autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about 560 km (350 mi) east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Like Agaléga, Rodrigues is a constituent island of the Republic of Mauritius, under the Constitution of Mauritius and still remains, as explicitly defined by the same Constitution, part of the Sovereignty of Mauritius, together with the following islands: "Agalega, Tromelin, Cargados Carajos, Chagos Archipelago ... Diego Garcia and other islands included in the State of Mauritius".
The National Police, formerly known as the Sûreté nationale, is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. By contrast, the National Gendarmerie has primary jurisdiction in smaller towns, as well as in rural and border areas. The National Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and has about 145,200 employees. Young French citizens can fulfill their mandatory service in the national police force.
A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and community groups. Additionally, the commissioner handles high-profile cases, addresses public concerns, and represents the department in various forums.
The Rodrigues People's Organisation is a political party based on the island of Rodrigues, Mauritius. At the legislative elections of 11 September 2000, the party won two out of 70 seats.
The prime minister of Mauritius is the head of government of Mauritius. He presides over the Cabinet of Ministers, which advises the president of the country and is collectively responsible to the National Assembly for any advice given and for all action done by or under the authority of any minister in the execution of his office.
Rodrigues College is a secondary school for both girls and boys. It is located in Port Mathurin, Rodrigues. It is the first ecumenical educational institution on the Indian Ocean.
Johnson Roussety is the current Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues in Mauritius. He held the same position from 4 August 2006 until 7 January 2011.
The University of Reunion Island is a French university in the Academy of Réunion. It is the first and only European university in the Indian Ocean. Established in 1982, it has grown steadily over the years in terms of student population, geographical sites occupied, courses offered and partnerships forged with local, national, and international institutions. The school's ambition is to be the reference university in Indianoceania.
Gaetan Jabeemisar is a Mauritian politician who served as the Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues from 12 January 2011 to 11 February 2012. He assumed the position following the resignation of the former Chief Commissioner, Johnson Roussety, who was under a motion of no confidence.
The Supreme Court of Mauritius is the highest court of Mauritius and the final court of appeal in the Mauritian judicial system. It was established in its current form in 1850, replacing the Cour d'Appel established in 1808 during the French administration and has a permanent seat in Port Louis. There is a right of appeal from the Supreme Court of Mauritius directly to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the court of final appeal for Mauritius.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Amara was a very strong tropical cyclone which brought stormy conditions to Rodrigues in December 2013. Amara was the first named storm in the southwest Indian Ocean during the later half of 2013, and developed from a disturbance within the monsoon trough on December 15. The following day, the system attained tropical depression status. Despite its ill-defined organization, the depression was able to continue strengthening, reaching moderate tropical storm status on December 16 as it tracked southwest. Situated in a favorable atmospheric environment, a period of rapid intensification ensued after Amara reached tropical cyclone status on December 18. After fluctuating in strength, the cyclone peaked with maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 935 mbar on December 21, making it an intense tropical cyclone based on the intensity scale utilized by Météo-France. Shortly after, wind shear increased as Amara tracked southeast, resulting in a weakening phase. The shearing effects caused the cyclone to rapidly decay, and by December 23, Amara degenerated into a remnant low.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Mauritius in March 2020. Since the first three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, the Mauritian authorities have been conducting 'Contact tracing': people who have been in contact with infected patients have been placed under quarantine, including doctors, nurses and police officers. No cases have been reported in Agaléga and St. Brandon. Mauritius scored 100 in the Oxford University COVID-19 government response tracker. No new cases through local transmission has been detected in Mauritius since 26 April 2020, since then, all the new cases which were reported on the island were imported cases from passengers who were repatriated to Mauritius and were admitted to quarantine centers upon their arrival. On 29 May 2020, the Mauritian government announced the end of lockdown as from 30 May 2020 at 00.00. However, some restrictions was still imposed on certain activities, in public spaces and public gatherings. On 12 June 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the decision was taken to lift all business and activity lockdowns ordered earlier to cope with the COVID-19, as from Monday 15 June 2020. Consequently, beaches, markets, gyms, parks, Village Halls, Community Centres, cinema and other public places became accessible to the public but the wearing of masks and social distancing will still be compulsory. Schools resumed as from 1 July 2020. As at 12 June 2020, 10% of the population were already tested with a total of 142,889 tests: 32,257 PCR tests and 110,632 Rapid Tests.
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%.
Marie Christiane Agathe is a politician and teacher from Rodrigues. She was elected to the Rodrigues Regional Assembly on 27 February 2022, representing the Maréchal region, for the Rodrigues Alliance. She was also appointed to the executive committee of the Regional Assembly, where she is the only woman, in the role of Commissioner for Family Protection and Children's Rights.
