Catholic bishop praises Mauritius election results for improving democracy

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône of Port-Louis in Mauritius has praised the recent general elections in Mauritius as a testament to democratic maturity.

In the parliamentary vote held on Nov. 10, the government experienced a significant electoral defeat.

The opposition Alliance of Change, led by former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, secured 60 out of the 64 seats in parliament. Consequently, Navin Ramgoolam has been appointed Prime Minister, replacing Pravind Jugnauth.

On Monday, Jugnauth conceded he lost the election, acknowledging that his Lepep alliance was facing a “huge defeat.” The Lepep alliance now holds only two seats in parliament, a sharp decline from the 42 seats it secured in the 2019 election.

Ramgoolam expressed his deep gratitude for the overwhelming support from the people.

“The court of the people has delivered its verdict and a new Mauritius awakes,” he told supporters.

In a November 12 statement, Durhône praised the elections as “an example of democratic maturity.”

“The democratic process has worked, thanks to the Mauritian people, who have set an example of democratic maturity by going to the polls in an orderly fashion to exercise their right to vote,” the bishop said.

He said the outcome shows that the people of the Indian Ocean nation “wanted to breathe new life into the proper functioning of the institutions for which the State is the guarantor, such as the judiciary and the police.”

He paid glowing tribute to the officers of the electoral commission and the police, “who carried out their work in a sometimes-tense climate and helped to maintain social peace in a tense environment.”

Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate for Africa and Senior Advisor to the President at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) who has monitored elections across Africa, said the elections “highlighted important values and principles of democracy.”

“The Mauritian elections highlighted important values and principles of democracy such as the transparency of the process, accountability and impartiality of the Election Commission, and the willingness of political parties and candidates to accept the announced results and facilitate a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,” he told Crux.

“Mauritius therefore consolidates its recognition by Africa and the rest of the world as a fully functioning democracy,” he said.

Fomunyoh said the example from Mauritius is further proof that democracy is making a foothold in some African countries, including Senegal in March 2024 and Botswana in October.

“We can be comforted in knowing that democracy and good elections continue to thrive across Africa, despite the backsliding of recent years, especially in some Francophone countries,” he said.

Over the past five years, there have been eight coups in West and Central Africa. These coups have occurred in countries such as Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon.

However, Fomunyoh said he believes that the dominant trend in Africa is the movement towards democratic rule.

“It is also confirmation that over 70 percent of Africans continue to see democracy as the best form of government, and one that needs to be nurtured and sustained,” he said.

“Moreover, these cases of credible, inclusive, free and fair elections prove that we Africans have what it takes to make democracy deliver on important benchmarks such as elections and public services to citizens. It is notable that in Mauritius as well as in Botswana and Senegal, the elections were won or lost based on citizens’ responses to how their lives were being impacted by the government of the day,” he continued.

“Our African leaders must know that with democratic societies one wins some elections and loses some, if life goes on. Staying in power forever can only lead to stagnation and further disaffection by citizens,” he told Crux.

Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, over 1,000 miles off the southeastern coast of East Africa, with a population of 1.3 million people. Nearly half the population is Hindu, while nearly a third are Christian, most of whom are Catholic.

The Catholic Church in Mauritius has committed itself to working with the new government to meet the country’s challenges.

Durhône said that the Catholic Church will collaborate responsibly with the elected authorities to take action on the major challenges facing Mauritian society, “such as education, meritocracy in the world of work, the fight against poverty, drugs and communalism.”

The bishop said it is the responsibility of the Church to act, with its convictions, for the common good of all.

He said the Church expects the next government to restore confidence in our institutions by guaranteeing their independence.

“On behalf of Catholics, I send my best wishes and the assurance of my prayers to the new government,” Durhône said, and congratulated those who lost “but who were able to respect the verdict of the ballot box in accordance with democratic rules.”