The Leader of the Opposition (French: Leader de l'opposition) of the Republic of Mauritius is the Member of Parliament who leads the Official Opposition in Mauritius. The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the National Assembly that is not in government.
| Leader of the Opposition of the Republic of Mauritius | |
|---|---|
| Chef de l'opposition | |
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 | |
since 15 November 2024 | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Reports to | The President of the Republic of Mauritius |
| Appointer | The President of the Republic of Mauritius |
| Term length | While leader of the largest political party in the National Assembly that is not in government |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Gaëtan Duval |
| Formation | 12 March 1968 |
| Salary | Rs 1.9 Million |
This office is a constitutional one guaranteed by the laws of the country. The incumbent officeholder automatically becomes 7th in the order of precedence. The current Leader of the Opposition is Joe Lesjongard who was appointed on 15 November 2024.
Overview
editThe political party or party alliance which wins the majority of seats in Parliament forms the government and its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister selects the members of the composition of the Cabinet from elected members of the Assembly, except for the Attorney General who may not be an elected member of the Assembly. The political party or alliance which has the second-largest majority forms the Official Opposition and its leader is normally nominated by the President of the Republic as the Leader of the Opposition.[1]
According to Section 73 of the Constitution of Mauritius, there shall be a Leader of the Opposition who shall be appointed by the President, where the President has occasion to appoint a Leader of the Opposition, he shall in his own deliberate judgment appoint –
(a) where there is one opposition party whose numerical strength in the Assembly is greater than the strength of any other opposition party, the member of the Assembly who is the leader in the Assembly of that party; or
(b) where there is no such party, the member of the Assembly whose appointment would, in the judgment of the President, be most acceptable to the leaders in the Assembly of the opposition parties:
Provided that, where occasion arises for making an appointment while Parliament is dissolved, a person who was a member of the Assembly immediately before the dissolution may be appointed Leader of the Opposition.[2]
List of leaders of the opposition
edit| No. | Leader (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Elected | Political affiliation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||||||
| Mauritius (1968–1992) | |||||||
| 1. | Sir Gaëtan Duval (1930–1996) |
|
7 August 1967 | 23 December 1969 | 1967 | Mauritian Social Democratic Party | |
| 2. | Maurice Lesage (1923–1992)[3] |
1969 | October 1973 | Union Démocratique Mauricienne (UDM) (splinter group of the PMSD) | |||
| 3. | Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (1907–1977) |
|
23 October 1973 | 23 December 1976 | Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) | ||
| 4. | Sir Anerood Jugnauth (1930–2021) |
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|
23 December 1976 | 11 June 1982 | 1976 | Mauritian Militant Movement | |
| (1) | Sir Gaëtan Duval (1930–1996) |
|
11 June 1982 | 21 August 1983 | 1982 | Mauritian Social Democratic Party | |
| 5. | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
21 August 1983 | 15 September 1987 | 1983 | Mauritian Militant Movement | |
| 6. | Prem Nababsing (1940–2017) |
|
15 September 1987 | 15 September 1991 | 1987 | ||
| 7. | Dr. Navin Ramgoolam (born 1947) |
|
15 September 1991 | Continued | 1991 | Labour Party | |
| Republic of Mauritius (from 12 March 1992 onwards) | |||||||
| 7. | Dr. Navin Ramgoolam (born 1947) |
|
Continued | 20 December 1995 | Labour Party | ||
| 8. | Nicholas Von Mally |
|
20 December 1995 | 11 September 1997 | 1995 | Rodrigues Movement | |
| (5) | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
11 September 1997 | 11 September 2000 | Mauritian Militant Movement | ||
| (7) | Dr. Navin Ramgoolam (born 1947) |
|
11 September 2000 | 5 July 2005 | 2000 | Labour Party | |
| (5) | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
5 July 2005 | 4 April 2006 | 2005 | Mauritian Militant Movement | |
| 9. | Nando Bodha (born 1954) |
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|
4 April 2006 | 27 September 2007 | Militant Socialist Movement | ||
| (5) | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
27 September 2007 | 23 January 2013 | 2010 | Mauritian Militant Movement | |
| 10. | Alan Ganoo (born 1951) |
|
23 January 2013 | 1 October 2013 | Mauritian Militant Movement | ||
| (5) | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
1 October 2013 | 15 September 2014 | Mauritian Militant Movement | ||
| 11. | Pravind Jugnauth (born 1961) |
|
15 September 2014 | 17 December 2014 | Militant Socialist Movement | ||
| (5) | Paul Bérenger (born 1945) |
|
17 December 2014 | 20 December 2016 | 2014 | Mauritian Militant Movement | |
| 12. | Xavier-Luc Duval (born 1958) |
|
20 December 2016 | 14 November 2019 | Mauritian Social Democratic Party | ||
| 13. | Arvin Boolell (born 1953) |
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|
14 November 2019 | 1 March 2021 | 2019 | Labour Party | |
| (12) | Xavier-Luc Duval (born 1958) |
|
4 March 2021 | 15 April 2024 | Mauritian Social Democratic Party | ||
| 14. | Shakeel Mohamed (born 1968) |
|
15 April 2024 | 3 June 2024 | Labour Party | ||
| (13) | Arvin Boolell (born 1953) |
|
28 May 2024 | 12 November 2024 | Labour Party | ||
| 15. | Joe Lesjongard |
|
15 November 2024 | Incumbent | 2024 | Militant Socialist Movement | |
- Parties
See also
edit
References
edit
- ^ "National Assembly - Introduction". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "Leader of Opposition". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ Houbert, Jean (April 1994). "Sydney Selvon, Historical Dictionary of Mauritius, second edition. London: Scarecrow Press, 1991, 285 pp., £26.25, ISBN 0 8108 2480 9". Africa. 64 (2): 300–301. doi:10.2307/1160994. ISSN 0001-9720.