Paul Bérenger: 'I step back with the serenity of someone who has never compromised on their convictions'

Paul Bérenger submitted his resignation letter to the Secretary General of the Mauritian Militant Movement, Rajesh Bagwan, on Monday, April 13, 2026, in the early afternoon. The same applies to Joanna Bérenger and Chetan Baboolall.

In a post on his Facebook page, the former leader of the Mauves explains that he has decided to withdraw from the party he founded in 1969 because he does not compromise on his convictions.

Here is the full statement Paul Bérenger shared after his resignation on Facebook:

"Some decisions carry the weight of a lifetime.

Today, after more than fifty years of political engagement, I am compelled to step back from the Mauritian Militant Movement, the party I helped to establish in 1969, at a time when it was necessary to dare to question the established order and to pave a new path for our country.

This departure is heartbreaking.

Because the MMM has been much more than a party. It has been a force for national transformation. It has been the vehicle for a collective awakening. It has been, for an entire generation, the symbol of a struggle for dignity, equality, and justice.

Together, we have contributed to advancing essential causes: improving workers' rights, expanding freedoms, emancipating our society, and strengthening democratic institutions. We have voiced the concerns of those who were not heard, and we have consistently refused to reduce politics to mere power management.

Among these struggles, the fight for genuine electoral reform has been central. Because a democracy cannot be fully realized as long as every voice does not count equally. I do not abandon this fight. I still hope it can come to fruition in my lifetime.

These struggles have shaped my life. They have given meaning to my commitment.

It is precisely in the name of this legacy that I make this decision today.

For several months, I have raised alarms about deviations that I consider incompatible with the values we have always defended: practices that we fought against yesterday, delays that hinder progress, and a troubling distancing from the commitments made to the people.

I felt it was my duty to speak out, not to divide, but to correct.

I now see that these warnings have gone unheeded.

The decision to keep the party within the government, unconditionally, without guarantees, and without clear demands regarding the implementation of the program for which we sought the confidence of the Mauritian people, marks a profound break.

Remaining in power should never be an end in itself. Power has legitimacy only when exercised rigorously, courageously, and in absolute respect for the promises made.

Thus, in good conscience, and faithful to the principles that have guided my entire political life, I today choose to withdraw from the MMM.

I step back with immense sadness, but also with the serenity of someone who has never compromised on their convictions.

I withdraw without renouncing our history, without erasing our struggles, without forgetting all that we built together.

And with the certainty that what is essential, in politics as in life, is to remain true to who we have always been.

The struggle continues. To this end, a new political movement will be launched with the activists, Mauritian men and women, who share our values and will join us in this fight."