Mauritius holds election with ruling party seeking second five-year term

People in Mauritius voted on Sunday for a new Parliament with the ruling party seeking to secure a second five-year term for Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in one of Africa's most stable democracies.

Jugnauth's government has faced criticism recently after it banned social media websites following a wiretapping scandal in which recorded conversations involving politicians, businesspeople, activists and journalists leaked and were published online. The ban was lifted after a few days but has raised concern among the opposition and civil society.

At least 1 million people were registered to vote in the 12th elections since Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968.

An alliance of parties led by Jugnauth's center-left Militant Socialist Movement won a majority of seats in Parliament to cement his leadership in 2019. He is being challenged by opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam's Alliance for Change.

Mauritius, which sits about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) off Africa's east coast, has developed a successful economy underpinned by its finance, tourism and agricultural sectors.

The island, popular for its idyllic tropical beaches, ranks second in Africa behind Seychelles on the Human Development Index, which ranks quality of life for citizens and takes into account life expectancy, access to education and per capita income.

The World Bank has described Mauritius as a beacon of success for sub-Saharan Africa and says it has achieved remarkable economic growth since independence. It was briefly rated a high-income country in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic set back its tourism sector.

Mauritians are voting for 62 seats in Parliament, and the party or alliance with a majority forms the government and chooses the prime minister. Another eight lawmakers are nominated by the Electoral Supervisory Council.