by Bayano Valy – SANF 05 no 61
The recent parliamentary elections in Mauritius will further democracy and development on the island as well as in southern Africa, the region’s main observer mission has said.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission and other election observer bodies from the region described the 3 July 2005 parliamentary elections as “free, fair, professionally managed and transparent.” There were over 80 regional observers in total.
The SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM) was headed by the South African ambassador to Mauritius, Ajay Bramdeo, who said the poll “will go a long way in contributing to the consolidation of democracy and continue in the path of development not only in Mauritius but also in the region as a whole.”
“This, in SADC’s view, bodes well for nurturing a culture of multiparty democracy” in the region, he said.
The elections were won by the opposition Alliance Social comprising Mauritius Labour Party and the Mauritian Social Democratic Party which garnered 38 seats in the 70-seat unicameral parliament. The governing alliance, the MMM/MSM (Mauritian Militant Movement/Militant Socialist Movement) got 22 seats.
A total of 62 representatives for the 70-seat chamber are elected by direct popular vote in a block system where each voter gets to cast three ballots for three candidates from each of the 21 constituencies. This includes the island of Rodrigues, off the south-east coast of Mauritius, which elects two deputies.
The remaining eight candidates are drawn from a list of “best losers”.
The other two seats went to the Organisation of the People of Rodrigues (OPR).
The Social Alliance is led by veteran politician Navichandra Ramgoolam who is expected to become the country’s next Prime Minister, with his running mate Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun set to become Deputy Prime Minister.
Ramgoolam is the son of the late Seewoosagur Ramgoolam who was the first prime minister of independent Mauritius. The island gained independence from Britain in 1968.
Other regional election observers included the SADC Parliamentary Forum, the Election Commissions Forum (ECF), the African Union, and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), as well as observer bodies from the neighbouring islands
The SADC mission deployed 13 observers who travelled and observed the elections throughout the 21 constituencies, including the separate island of Rodrigues, for two weeks.
The SADC observers interacted with the main political parties, civil society, the media, and other stakeholders.
The SEOM is guided by the SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic elections, which was adopted by SADC leaders at their annual summit in Grand Baie, Mauritius, in 2004.
Bramdeo said Mauritius could improve its functional systems as the country continues finalising its proposed electoral reforms.
He suggested that Mauritius should align its identification of voters through an appropriate system for control purposes. The island does not have in place a voter’s card system nor does it use indelible ink for those who have already voted to avoid cases of multiple voting.
Other areas of concern were the need for an “improved and equitable access to the state media by political parties on the basis of agreed criteria.” Some of the country’s smaller parties complained that they did not get enough allocated time on radio and television to air their views.
But these suggestions should not by any means “demerit the whole electoral process and democracy in Mauritius,” he said.
The SADC PF mission leader, the speaker of the Lesotho parliament, Ntlhoi Motsamai, said that the just-ended elections had been “credible, free and fair; and were conducted in line with the regional norms, standards and guidelines for democratic elections.”
Motsamai said the result was a true reflection of the will of the people.
More than 80 percent of 817,305 eligible voters turned out for the polls. This was highly commended by the observer missions which accounted it to the high level of political tolerance. (SARDC)
