10 Years Without Municipal Elections Under Jugnauth’s Regime

The government of the Alliance du Changement, led by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, is facing a significant challenge in organizing the upcoming municipal elections, the last of which was held in 2015. The goal is to conduct the elections in five cities immediately following the National Day celebrations on March 12 of next year.

Citizens, numbering 400,594 registered voters according to the Electoral Commission, have been waiting for ten years to exercise their civic duty by electing their municipal councillors.

Initially, the government aimed to schedule these elections, which would affect about 40% of potential voters, for late March.

This plan was articulated in a cabinet statement on Friday, December 20, stating that “the Municipal City Council and the Municipal Town Council elections will be organized after the National Day Celebrations” on March 12.

However, the committee responsible for establishing the timeline for the dissolution of current municipal councils—these would occur on Nomination Day and Polling Day—and for the counting of votes is facing significant obstacles that must be addressed beginning in early January of the coming year.

Among the first religious celebrations is Thaipussam Cavadee on February 11, followed by the Maha Shivaratree pilgrimage on February 26.

Around the same time, the Islamic community in Mauritius will begin Ramadan, leading up to the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration on March 31.

The observance of Lent for Easter, which falls on April 20, will also commence on March 5. Additionally, Ugadi will be celebrated on March 31.

This congested schedule of religious events leaves no available windows to hold the municipal elections during the latter half of March.

As of now, no official date has been set for the elections, but the committee is expected to convene urgently in the coming days to determine the best approach to accommodate these various constraints.

May 2025 appears to be the most feasible option; however, the preparation of the first budget for the Alliance du Changement government will dominate national news during that time.

The deadline to summon citizens to the polls, following the recent amendments to the Husnoo Law that have postponed municipal elections for the third time under the Jugnauth administration, is set for June.

The government’s strategy, aiming to facilitate the elections in the five cities immediately after the national celebrations on March 12, included the dissolution of municipal councils through a presidential decree.

In this scenario, day-to-day operations in these cities would be managed by Chief Executive Officers rather than by appointing commissioners—46 in total.

With this plan in place, the ambitious project to overhaul regional administrations, entrusted to a multi-ministerial committee led by Minister Ranjit Woochit, has been postponed due to the complexities involved.

Additionally, plans for new village elections have also been shelved for the time being.

From the perspective of the Electoral Commission, a budget allocation of Rs 239 million has been earmarked for the municipal elections.

Provided the elections take place before August 15, the current voter registers—totaling 400,594—will be utilized across the five cities as follows:

• Port-Louis: 114,275
• Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill: 77,492
• Curepipe: 59,862
• Quatre-Bornes: 60,446
• Vacoas/Phoenix: 88,519

The Electoral Commission is not planning to conduct the annual voter registration exercise in January of the upcoming year.

Instead, voter registration will take place in Rodrigues to rebuild the electoral database in preparation for parliamentary and regional elections, especially following the fire that severely damaged the Electoral Commission’s regional office in Port-Mathurin on the morning of October 30.

Source: Le Mauricien