Mauritius: Indo-Mauritians in the general elections

Extracted from: "Mauritius" IN Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa (2002), edited by Tom Lodge, Denis Kadima and David Pottie, EISA, 171.

In the run-up to the 1991 general election, the population of 1,1 million (680 000 voters) was 70% Indo-Mauritian. Hindus were 52% of the total population, and Christians 2%. Most Hindus are of the Vaishya caste, and both political alliances were led by Vaishyas: the Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth and Labour Party leader Nuvin Ramgoolam. Even though the Labour Party is traditionally a rural Hindu party, this does not guarantee it a role as governing party.

In 1967, the Labour Party [MLP] won most Hindu votes thanks to the backing of the Independent Forward Bloc (IFB), now defunct, with strong support among the high-cast Brahmins. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, a middle-class Vaishya, had the support of other castes - Ravived, Rajputs, Marathi and Telugu - as well as Vashyas.

In 1982, the year of the raz de marée (tidal wave) which momentarily wiped the MLP and the PMSD [Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate] off the stage, half the Hindus had voted for the MMM/PSM [Mouvement Militant Mauricien/Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate] alliance, while the other half supported Ramgoolam's Labour Party and its allies. After the 1983 collapse of the MMM/PSM government, Hindus gave a clear mandate to Jugnauth and his MSM/PMSD coalition. In 1987, Hindus united to support Jugnauth, except for Brahmins, who were divided between two Brahmins: Sir Satcam Boolell and the MMM's shadow Prime Minister, Prem Nababsingh. Fundamentalist Brahmins could not forgive Jugnauuth for allowing lower-caste Hndus to play leading roles within the complex religious structure.