Anerood Jugnauth named Mauritius prime minister

Former President and leader of the Alliance Lepep party, Anerood Jugnauth, who is of Indian origin, has been officially appointed Mauritius' new prime minister, officials said Monday.

The appointment came one day after the resignation of former prime minister Navin Ramgoolam who lost in the polls, Xinhua reported.

Ramgoolam was serving his third term as the prime minister since 2005.

According to official data, of the total of 62 parliamentary seats, Lepep won 29, whereas Ramgoolam's Labour Party (PTR) won only 10.

Jugnauth was received at the State House Sunday and was handed the official letter from President Kailash Purryag to form his government.

Jugnauth, 84, served as the president from 2003 to 2012, and previously he was the prime minister of Mauritius from 1982 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003.

About one million Mauritians went to the polls conducted last Wednesday.

People of Indian origin comprise around 68 percent of Mauritius's total population of over 1.3 million.

Most of them are descendants of labourers who were brought in the 19th century to the early 20th cventury to work in the sugarcane plantations here.