Early general elections were held in Mauritius on 21 August 1983. The result was a victory for an alliance of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), the Labour Party and the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD), which between them won 46 seats.Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p618 The Militant Socialist Movement won 32 seats, whilst the Labour Party secured ten seats and the PMSD five. On the other hand, the Mauritian Militant Movement was relegated to 22 seats, down from 42 in the last election. Voter turnout was 85.19%.
The election was called by Anerood Jugnauth, who became prime minister after winning in a landslide in 1982, five months after the governing coalition split due to disagreements between finance minister Paul Bérenger and Jugnauth. The latter formed the MSM in April 1983 and saw the Parti Socialiste Mauricien merge with the new party. Jugnauth remained as prime minister only with a narrow majority and unable to maintain that majority, he decided to call for early elections barely a year after the last one was called.
Jugnauth's electoral alliance allowed him to remain prime minister whilst bringing Gaëtan Duval, who became deputy prime minister, and Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who was appointed eventually as governor-general, back into the government after their severe defeat in the 1982 elections. Newly elected leader Satcam Boolell became the country's foreign minister.
The Mauritian Militant Movement suffered after the departure of Jugnauth and the split of the MMM-PSM alliance. Bérenger, the party's leader, was not popularly elected in his own constituency. However, under the Best Loser System, he secured his seat through the representational system. He was appointed afterwards as Leader of the Opposition, a post he held until 1987.
Electoral system The Legislative Assembly has 62 directly elected members; 60 represent 20 three-seat constituencies, and two are elected from a constituency on the island of Rodrigues. The elections are held using the plurality block vote system with panachage, whereby voters have as many votes as seats available. In what is commonly known as the Best Loser System, should a community fail to win parliamentary representation, the Electoral Supervisory Commission can appoint up to eight unsuccessful candidates from these communities with the most votes.Mauritius: Background to the 1967 Legislative Assembly election EISA The Electoral Commission divides the electorate into four communities: Hindus, Muslims, Sino-Mauritians and the general population; the latter comprises voters who do not belong to the first three. Unless the Governor-General dissolves the Legislative Assembly early, members serve a five-year term.
Parties and candidates Following the internal divisions of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) between the factions of Jugnauth and Bérenger, the former's faction split and formed the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) on 8 April 1983, with members of the other governing party, Parti Socialiste Mauricien (PSM), joining and merging with the new party.
The MSM eventually formed an electoral alliance with the Labour Party led by Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. The alliance appeared on the ballot as MSM/Travailliste. The two parties also closely cooperated with Gaëtan Duval's Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD), with the alliance not deciding to field any candidates in constituencies where PMSD candidates stood. The PMSD stood in constituencies of Grand River North West-Port-Louis West, Curepipe-Midlands, Stanley-Rose Hill, Beau Bassin-Petite Rivière and Rodrigues. The MSM–PTr–PMSD alliance ran in all 21 constituencies.
As for the MMM, the party decided to run on its own without forming an alliance and contested in all mainland constituencies.
Major alliance/party Member parties Alliance leader Candidates MSM–PTr–PMSD Militant Socialist Movement Anerood Jugnauth 35 Labour Party 13 Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate 14 Mauritian Militant Movement Paul Bérenger 60
Results
By constituency Constituency Elected MPs Party 1 Grand River North West–Port Louis West Mathieu Laclé MMM Jérôme Boulle MMM Rajnee Dyalah MMM 2 Port Louis South–Port Louis Central Noël Lee Cheong Lem MMM Khalid Tegally MMM Subhas Chandra Lallah MMM Kamil Ramoly (best loser) PTr 3 Port Louis Maritime–Port Louis East Bashir Khodabux MMM Osman Gendoo MMM Cassam Uteem MMM Ismaël Nawoor (best loser) MSM 4 Port Louis North–Montagne Longue Shree Krisna Baligadoo MMM José Arunasalom MMM Dinesh Mundil MMM Sylvio Michel (best loser) MSM Georgy Candahoo (best loser) MSM 5 Pamplemousses–Triolet Beergoonath Ghurburrun PTr Diwakur Bundhun MSM Dinesh Ramjuttun MSM 6 Grand Baie–Poudre D'Or Armoogum Parsooraman MSM Sattyanand Pelladoah PTr Madan Dulloo MSM 7 Piton–Riviere du Rempart Dwarkanath Gungah MSM Anerood Jugnauth MSM Mahyendrah Utchanah MSM 8 Quartier Militaire–Moka Kadress Pillay MSM Vinod Goodoory MSM Rashidally Soobadar MSM 9 Flacq–Bon Accueil Dev Kim Currun PTr Ajay Daby MSM Iswardeo Seetaram PTr 10 Montagne Blanche–Grand River South East Satcam Boolell PTr Kader Bhayat MSM Jagdishwar Goburdhun MSM 11 Vieux Grand Port–Rose Belle Anandisswar Choolun MSM Nemchand Raj Molaye MSM Radha Gungoosingh MSM 12 Mahebourg–Plaine Magnien Lutchmeeparsadsing Ramsahok MSM Serge Thomas PTr Suresh Chandra Poonith MSM 13 Riviere des Anguilles–Souillac Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo MSM Amba Chinien PTr Harish Boodhoo MSM 14 Savanne–Black River Sheilabai Bappoo MSM Kishore Deerpalsing MSM Roger Gaëtan Gungurum MSM 15 La Caverne–Phoenix Uttam Jawaheer MMM Sahid Maudarbocus MMM Yousuf Mohamed PTr 16 Vacoas–Floreal Karl Offmann MSM Babooram Mahadoo MSM Rohit Beedassy MSM France Canabady (best loser) MMM 17 Curepipe–Midlands Gaëtan Duval PMSD Marc Hein PMSD Kailash Purryag PMSD 18 Belle Rose–Quatre Bornes Michael Glover PTr Anil Gayan MSM Dev Virahsawmy MSM Paul Bérenger (best loser) MMM 19 Stanley–Rose Hill Jayen Cuttaree MMM Jean-Claude de l'Estrac MMM Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra MMM 20 Beau Bassin–Petite Riviere Jean Régis Finette MMM Hervé Duval PMSD Rajesh Bhagwan MMM Joceline Minerve (best loser) MMM Marie Ghiselaine Henry (best loser) PMSD 21 Rodrigues France Félicité OPR Serge Clair OPRSource: Electoral Commission
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