Mauritius: Election writ published in September

The Electoral Commission has updated the complete voter’s list by constituencies and it will probably issue the electoral writ by September 24, according to our sources.

The EC has not given any indication whether there will be the elections in the No 18 constituency or whether the Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will call for snap polls.

At this stage, it is clear the political parties in the opposition are expecting the unexpected, that is they do not really know whether there will be a by-election or the government will use what is in its powers to delay everything until it calls for a snap-poll by December.

A previous indication of the delays in a by-election was after the story of the ‘Amsterdam Boys’ broke out at the Schipol Airport in the Netherlands, involving 4 Mauritian MP’s who were caught carrying drugs to Europe.

This lead to massive discontent in the government of PM Sir Aneerood Jugnauth that was hit with resignations and while former Deputy PM Harish Boodhoo went viral against the PM until his resignation prior to the 1987 elections.

The 1987 elections were forced after two other MP’s from the MSM resigned in protest against the drug-related scandal linked to the Amsterdam Boys. 

That year, Mauritius marked 19 years of independence on a Thursday with celebrations overshadowed by the drug scandal that forced the government to call early elections.

There are similarities to the 2017 situation where Pravind Jugnauth is now accused of financing drug imports into Mauritius, while the MSM is accused of obtaining ‘drug money’ from drug lords to finance its 2014 electoral success.