Mauritius Polity
Constitution
The Constitution of Mauritius was adopted in 1968 after the country gained independence. It was amended in 1991 to provide for Mauritius becoming a Republic in 1992. The Constitution provides for separation of powers between the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
Parliament
Mauritian National assembly is based on the British Westminster Parliamentary System. The National Assembly is composed of 70 members. The members are elected for a period of five years through universal suffrage, with the voting age being 18 years. Mauritius is divided into 21 constituencies, 20 on the main island electing 3 MPs each and one on the island of Rodrigues electing 2 MPs. The remaining 8 MPs are elected on the basis of a proportional representation arrangement called the ‘best loser’ system, from among the candidates who have lost the elections. This is provided to correct any imbalances between parties and communities.
Cabinet
| Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications |
Dr. The Hon Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM, GCSK, FRCP |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Public Utilities |
Dr. The Hon Ahmed Rashid BEEBEEJAUN, GCSK, FRCP |
| Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Development |
The Hon Charles Gaëtan Xavier Luc DUVAL, GCSK |
| Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping |
The Hon Anil Kumar BACHOO, GOSK |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade |
Dr the Hon Arvin BOOLELL, GOSK |
| Minister of Housing and Lands | Dr the Hon Abu Twalib KASENALLY, FRCS |
| Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions |
The Hon Mrs Sheilabai BAPPOO, GOSK |
| Minister of Education and Human Resources | Dr the Hon Vasant Kumar BUNWAREE |
| Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security | The Hon Satya Veyash FAUGOO, |
| Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development | The Hon Devanand VIRAHSAWMY, GOSK |
| Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology | Dr the Hon Rajeshwar JEETAH |
| Minister of Information and Communication Technology | The Hon Tassarajen PILLAY CHEDUMBRUM |
| Minister of Fisheries and Rodrigues | The Hon Louis Joseph VON-MALLY, GOSK |
| Minister of Youth and Sports | The Hon Satyaprakash RITOO |
| Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands | The Hon Louis Hervé AIMÉE |
| Minister of Arts and Culture | The Hon Mookhesswur CHOONEE |
| Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment | The Hon Shakeel Ahmed Yousuf Abdul Razack MOHAMED |
| Attorney General | The Hon Yatindra Nath VARMA |
| Minister of Tourism and Leisure | The Hon John Michaël Tzoun Sao YEUNG SIK YUEN |
| Minister of Health and Quality of Life | The Hon Lormus BUNDHOO |
| Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection | The Hon Sayyad Abd-Al-Cader SAYED-HOSSEN |
| Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment | The Hon Surendra DAYAL |
| Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives | The Hon Jangbahadoorsing Iswurdeo Mola Roopchand SEETARAM |
| Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare | The Hon Mrs Maria Francesca Mireille MARTIN |
| Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms | The Hon Sutyadeo MOUTIA |
Membership of Organisations:
Group of African Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP), African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union (AU), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Commonwealth, Community of Portugese Language Countries (CPLP) (associate), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Interpol, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission (NIOHC), Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (observer), South African Development Community (SADC), United Nations (UN), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Confederation of Labour (WCL), World Customs Organisation (WCO), World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Trade Organisation (WTO).
[Mauritius was accorded observer status in SAARC in 2008 and participated as an observer at the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo. Mauritius is the seat of the COMESA Fund].