Electoral Reform: Public Consultation Open Until January 30, 2026

The Mauritian government officially launched a nationwide consultation on electoral reform on Tuesday, fulfilling a promise outlined in the government program for 2025-2029. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office invites all stakeholders – including political parties, academics, the Mauritian diaspora, unions, NGOs, civil society organizations, and citizens – to submit their proposals by Friday, January 30, 2026.

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his deputy, Paul Bérenger, have already reached a consensus on the main outlines of the reform while remaining open to suggestions. They propose to maintain the first-past-the-post electoral system for the election of 60 members of parliament across the 20 constituencies of Mauritius, alongside adding 20 seats allocated through a compensatory proportional system to ensure better representation of political forces. Additionally, they aim to eliminate the requirement to declare ethnic affiliation to stand as a candidate in general elections.

There is a nuance between the two leaders, as revealed by Paul Bérenger in a press conference about ten days ago. While the Prime Minister supports the removal of the "best loser system" right after the first general elections under the new system, the Deputy Prime Minister would prefer to retain the four "best loser" seats allocated based on ethnic affiliation, with the possibility of completely abolishing them in subsequent elections.