Municipal Elections - Significant Decrease in Candidates: 407 Registered Compared to 539 in 2015
Title: Municipal Elections - Significant Decrease in Candidates: 407 Registered Compared to 539 in 2015
Date: Sun 06/04/2025 - 11:30
Ten years after the last municipal elections, 407 candidates will compete for the 120 seats across five councils. This marks a notable decline from 2015, highlighted by the absence of several major parties, including the MSM, PMSD, and the Militant Platform.
Ten years since the last municipal elections held on June 15, 2015, the nomination process for the upcoming election scheduled for May 4 has revealed a significant drop in the number of candidates for the 120 municipal council seats. A total of 407 candidates registered on Nomination Day, Saturday, April 5, indicating a decrease of 24.5% from the 539 applicants in 2015.
This decline is largely attributed to the absence of several large political parties such as the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), the Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), and to a lesser extent, the Militant Platform led by Steven Obeegadoo, the former Deputy Prime Minister who had expressed his intention to run before withdrawing from the race on Friday evening.
During a press conference held at the Electoral Commissioner’s Office in Port-Louis, Irfan Abdool Rahman provided the initial figures. "The process began at 9 AM and concluded at 6 PM," the Electoral Commissioner noted, adding, "Between 3 PM and 5 PM, we had to check if candidates were gender compliant or not."
Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill Leads
The city of Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill (BB/RH) has the highest number of candidates, with 115 individuals contesting, of which 107 are affiliated with groups, alliances, or political parties. In contrast, Curepipe has the lowest number with 65 candidates, 44 of whom are from political parties. Port-Louis ranks second with 93 candidates (65 affiliated and 28 independent), followed by Quatre-Bornes with 66 candidates (58 from parties) and Vacoas/Phoenix with 68 candidates, including 50 supported by parties or alliances.
Regarding districts, Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill, in district number 4, has the most candidates with 24 individuals competing, while Ward 6 of Port-Louis has only seven candidates.
Gender Imbalance
Regarding gender representation, women account for 34.2% of candidates, compared to 65.8% men. The numbers vary by city: Port-Louis has 30 female candidates, Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill 40, Curepipe 21, Quatre-Bornes 28, and Vacoas/Phoenix 20.
One party, Linion Moris, did not meet the gender parity requirements outlined in Article 11(6) of the Local Government Act, resulting in a reclassification of some of its candidates. "In Port-Louis and Curepipe, Linion Moris submitted candidates but did not comply with Article 11(6) of the Local Government Act," Irfan Abdool Rahman stated. "According to current regulations, all its candidates from Ward 3 in Curepipe and Ward 5 in Port-Louis are considered independent candidates."
He added that the Electoral Commission, chaired by Me Christine Sauzier, will meet on Tuesday afternoon to allocate symbols to independent candidates. Those for groups, parties, and alliances have already been distributed. "Starting tomorrow, we will begin working on the ballot design, which will be printed in due course," he specified.
Tuesday, April 8, at 3 PM, will mark the deadline for withdrawing candidacies. The final list will then be established, and the printing of ballots for the 30 districts will commence. Although reserve lists are not mandatory, they must be submitted on Thursday between 9 AM and 3 PM. "In principle, all groups will do this," the commissioner noted.
Aside from a "minor issue at La Visitation RCA" in Vacoas/Phoenix, which was quickly resolved, no incidents have been reported. Irfan Abdool Rahman emphasized that "everything went smoothly." On polling day, May 4, voters will be called to cast their votes between 7 AM and 5 PM. The counting will begin shortly thereafter, "around 5:30 PM or 5:45 PM," according to the Electoral Commissioner.
To ensure the electoral process runs smoothly, approximately 427 officials have been mobilized for Saturday. On voting day, between 7,000 and 7,300 electoral agents will be deployed on the ground. Finally, a call has been made to voters: "We urge voters to cast their ballots early on May 4," insisted Irfan Abdool Rahman.
