Son takes over Mauritius Prime Minister job from father amid criticism

Mauritius will have a new Prime Minister on Monday after 86-year-old Anerood Jugnauth resigned on Saturday and handed over power to his son.

55-year-old Pravind Jugnauth, who is the leader of the main political party Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) has already formed his ministerial cabinet after receiving his appointment letter from President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim.

The country’s main opposition Labour Party is protesting against the appointment which it termed as a “Father-Son Deal”.

The police has rejected a request from the Labour Party to hold a sit-in protest, and party leaders have called on their supporters to wear black.

“This is a black day for Mauritius. The Jugnauth family is turning the Island into a ‘Banana Republic’. This is great treason in history as the population never voted for this dynastic arrangement,” former PM and Labour Party Leader Navin Ramgoolam said.

According to the country’s constitution, the President appoints a member of the National Assembly as Prime Minister who will have the support of the majority of members.

Pravind Jugnauth’s party is the majority in the National Assembly with 32 members.

The Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius has a population of a little over a million people.