Only about half of citizens trust their election management body.
Key findings
- An overwhelming majority of Mauritians (86%) support elections as the best way to choose their leaders.
- Almost seven in 10 citizens (68%) say Mauritius needs many political parties to ensure that voters have a real choice in who governs them. o A healthy majority (62%) say it is better in a democracy if power sometimes changes hands in elections from one political party to another. But one-third (32%) believe that as long as a government is chosen in a free and fair election, it doesn't matter if one party always wins.
- Two-thirds (68%) of citizens say that once an election is over, the losing side should accept defeat and cooperate with the government to help it develop the country, rather than focus on holding it accountable.
- A slim majority (55%) of respondents say the 2019 election was largely free and fair. Only 3% say they feared intimidation or violence "somewhat" or "a lot" during the campaign.
- Nearly nine in 10 citizens (88%) say they feel "somewhat free" or "completely free" to vote for the candidates of their choice without feeling pressured, and more than half (54%) consider it unlikely that powerful people can find out how they voted.
- Views on the Electoral Commission of Mauritius are mixed: Close to half (48%) of Mauritians say they trust the institution "somewhat" or "a lot," but almost as many (43%) say they trust it "just a little" or "not at all."
Rallies and other campaign activities are in full swing as Mauritius approaches its 13th general election since independence on 30 November (News Moris, 2024).
The last general election, held in 2019, was marred by allegations of numerous irregularities, including voters' names not appearing on the voters' roll, inexperienced staff deployed to manage electoral processes, marked ballots abandoned outside counting centres, and unaccounted-for computers found in counting centres. In several trips to the courts, none of these allegations was ever proved, though doubts about the legitimacy of the election lingered in some people's minds (Kasenally, 2020).
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In one court case, opposition candidate Surendra Dayal argued that Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth's victory was obtained through bribery and undue influence. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Mauritius ruled in favour of Jugnauth, a finding upheld two years later by the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom (Reuters, 2023).
As Mauritians prepare to vote again five years later, how do they see their elections, multiparty competition, and the integrity of the balloting process?
The most recent Afrobarometer survey findings show that most Mauritians value elections and multiparty competition and feel free to vote as they wish. Slimmer majorities consider their last election to have been largely free and fair and express confidence in ballot secrecy. But citizens are divided on whether the Electoral Commission of Mauritius can be trusted.
Asafika Mpako Asafika is the communications coordinator for Southern Africa
Stephen Ndoma Stephen is the assistant project manager for Southern Africa
