Navin Ramgoolam Sworn In as Prime Minister for the 3rd Time

Navin Ramgoolam, the leader of the Labour Party, has officially returned to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after a decade-long absence from power. At the age of 77, Ramgoolam has assumed the role of Prime Minister for the third time in his political career, having previously held the position from 1995 to 2000 and then again from 2005 to 2015.

He took his oath of office at State House in a ceremony presided over by President Prithvirajsing Roopun on Wednesday afternoon, November 13, just two days after the resounding victory of the Change Alliance in the national elections.

Ramgoolam’s return to power follows a challenging period characterized by two consecutive election defeats in 2014 and 2019.

Leading the Change Alliance, which includes the Labour Party, the Militant Socialist Movement (MMM), the New Democrats, and Rezistans ek Alternativ, Ramgoolam orchestrated a historic win, securing all 60 seats in the parliament, effectively sweeping aside the outgoing Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his Lepep Alliance.

For the November 10 elections, Ramgoolam opted to campaign in his former stronghold of Triolet, after participating in the 2014 elections for the Montagne-Blanche/GRSE constituency.

As the head of the Labour Party, he is also the son of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, known as the “father of the nation” and a former Labour Party leader and Prime Minister.

Ramgoolam first ascended to the premiership in 1995, serving until the year 2000.

He won a second term after the elections on July 3, 2005, and led the Future Alliance, which included the Labour Party, the MMM, and the PMSD, to an impressive victory in the 2010 elections, securing 41 out of 62 parliamentary seats.

He was reappointed Prime Minister on May 11, 2010. However, his tenure came to an end after a significant loss in the December 10, 2014 elections, marking the beginning of a difficult period for him.

This challenging phase was compounded by his arrest on February 6, 2015, following the discovery of Rs 220 million in his safes, which led to increased scrutiny and public ire.

In the recent elections, Ramgoolam returned to the political scene in constituency number 5 (Triolet/Pamplemousses), achieving another historic 60-0 victory—an accomplishment he last achieved in 1995 in coalition with the MMM.

Ramgoolam’s political comeback signals a significant shift in Mauritius’ political landscape, as he embarks on a new chapter in leadership.

Source: Defi Media