Leader of the Opposition (Mauritius)

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Leader of the Opposition of the Republic of Mauritius
Chef de l'opposition
Coat of arms of Mauritius (Original version).svg
Flag of Mauritius.svg
Incumbent
Shakeel Mohamed
since 15 April 2024
Style The Honourable
Reports to The President of the Republic of Mauritius
Appointer The President of the Republic of Mauritius
Term length While leader of the largest political party in the National Assembly that is not in government
Inaugural holder Sir Gaëtan Duval
Formation12 March 1968
Salary Rs 1.9 Million

The Leader of the Opposition (French : Leader de l'opposition) of the Republic of Mauritius is the Member of Parliament who leads the Official Opposition in Mauritius. The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the National Assembly that is not in government.

Contents

This office is a constitutional one guaranteed by the laws of the country. The incumbent officeholder automatically becomes 7th in the order of precedence. The current Leader of the Opposition is Shakeel Mohamed who was appointed on April 15, 2024.

Overview

The political party or party alliance which wins the majority of seats in Parliament forms the government and its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister selects the members of the composition of the Cabinet from elected members of the Assembly, except for the Attorney General who may not be an elected member of the Assembly. The political party or alliance which has the second-largest majority forms the Official Opposition and its leader is normally nominated by the President of the Republic as the Leader of the Opposition. [1]

According to Section 73 of the Constitution of Mauritius, there shall be a Leader of the Opposition who shall be appointed by the President, where the President has occasion to appoint a Leader of the Opposition, he shall in his own deliberate judgment appoint –

(a) where there is one opposition party whose numerical strength in the Assembly is greater than the strength of any other opposition party, the member of the Assembly who is the leader in the Assembly of that party; or

(b) where there is no such party, the member of the Assembly whose appointment would, in the judgment of the President, be most acceptable to the leaders in the Assembly of the opposition parties:

Provided that, where occasion arises for making an appointment while Parliament is dissolved, a person who was a member of the Assembly immediately before the dissolution may be appointed Leader of the Opposition. [2]

List of leaders of the opposition

No.Leader
(Birth–Death)
PortraitTenureElectedPolitical affiliation
Took officeLeft office
Mauritius (1968–1992)
1. Sir Gaëtan Duval
(1930–1996)
Gaetan Duval.jpg 7 August 196723 December 1969 1967 Mauritian Social Democrat Party
2. Maurice Lesage
(1923–1992) [3]
1969October 1973 Union Démocratique Mauricienne (UDM)
(splinter group of the PMSD)
3. Sookdeo Bissoondoyal
(1907–1977)
No image.png 23 October 197323 December 1976 Independent Forward Bloc (IFB)
4. Sir Anerood Jugnauth
(1930–2021)
Anerood Jugnauth 1991 (cropped).jpg 23 December 197611 June 1982 1976 Mauritian Militant Movement
(1) Sir Gaëtan Duval
(1930–1996)
Gaetan Duval.jpg 11 June 198221 August 1983 1982 Mauritian Social Democrat Party
5. Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 21 August 198315 September 1987 1983 Mauritian Militant Movement
6. Prem Nababsing
(1940–2017)
No image.png 15 September 198715 September 1991 1987
7. Dr. Navin Ramgoolam
(born 1947)
Navin Ramgoolam 2014.png 15 September 1991Continued 1991 Labour Party
Republic of Mauritius (from 12 March 1992 onwards)
7. Dr. Navin Ramgoolam
(born 1947)
Navin Ramgoolam 2014.png Continued20 December 1995 Labour Party
8. Nicholas Von Mally No image.png 20 December 199511 September 1997 1995 Rodrigues Movement
(5) Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 11 September 199711 September 2000 Mauritian Militant Movement
(7) Dr. Navin Ramgoolam
(born 1947)
Navin Ramgoolam 2014.png 11 September 20005 July 2005 2000 Labour Party
(5) Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 5 July 20054 April 2006 2005 Mauritian Militant Movement
9. Nando Bodha
(born 1954)
Nando Bodha (cropped).jpg 4 April 200627 September 2007 Militant Socialist Movement
(5) Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 27 September 200723 January 2013 2010 Mauritian Militant Movement
10. Alan Ganoo
(born 1951)
Alan Ganoo.jpg 23 January 20131 October 2013 Mauritian Militant Movement
(5) Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 1 October 201315 September 2014 Mauritian Militant Movement
11. Pravind Jugnauth
(born 1961)
Pravind Jugnauth.jpg 15 September 201417 December 2014 Militant Socialist Movement
(5) Paul Bérenger
(born 1945)
Paul Berenger.png 17 December 201420 December 2016 2014 Mauritian Militant Movement
12. Xavier-Luc Duval
(born 1958)
Xavier-Luc Duval - World Economic Forum on Africa 2012 crop.jpg 20 December 201614 November 2019 Mauritian Social Democrat Party
13. Arvin Boolell
(born 1953)
Arvin Boolell, 2013 (cropped).jpg 14 November 20191 March 2021 2019 Labour Party
(12) Xavier-Luc Duval
(born 1958)
Xavier-Luc Duval - World Economic Forum on Africa 2012 crop.jpg 4 March 202115 April 2024 Mauritian Social Democrat Party
14. Shakeel Mohamed
(born 1968)
No image.png 15 April 2024Incumbent Labour Party
Parties
   Mauritian Social Democrat Party (PMSD)
   Union Démocratique Mauricienne (UDM)
   Independent Forward Bloc (IFB)
   Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM)
   Labour Party (PTR)
   Rodrigues Movement (RM)
   Militant Socialist Movement (MSM)

See also

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References

  1. "National Assembly - Introduction". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  2. "Leader of Opposition". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  3. Houbert, Jean (April 1994). "Sydney Selvon, Historical Dictionary of Mauritius, second edition. London: Scarecrow Press, 1991, 285 pp., £26.25, ISBN 0 8108 2480 9". Africa. 64 (2): 300–301. doi:10.2307/1160994. ISSN   0001-9720.