Mauritius opposition celebrate winning parliamentary polls, Seychelles president congratulates the new prime minister

Seychelles President James Michel has congratulated the new Mauritian Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth. (Seychelles News Agency) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles President James Michel has congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth following the victory of the opposition coalition, Alliance Lepep, in yesterday's parliamentary polls held in the Indian Ocean island nation.

In a press statement issued this morning the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Michel has affirmed that the Mauritian people had placed their trust in Jugnauth’s vision.

“Your election is one which symbolises the further strengthening of the Mauritian institutions and provides greater prosperity for your people whilst ensuring that Mauritius maintains its position as a beacon of freedom, stability and success in the region,” said Michel in the statement.

With Seychelles and Mauritius being sister Indian Ocean island nations Michel also expressed his desire to see the two countries forge ahead in their common aspirations to make the Mauritius-Seychelles partnership one that is exemplary.

“….the strategic partnership which our two countries share continues to provide a solid platform to unlock the potential that the Indian Ocean carries especially in terms of our marine resources while also addressing the unprecedented challenges of a globalised world,” added Michel.

Michel has also sent a message to the former Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in which he has thanked him “for the excellent relations he helped foster throughout his tenure” as well as for the personal friendship they shared which Michel said “have contributed to the development of the ties between the two countries, serving as an example of South-South and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) cooperation to the rest of the world.”

Ramgoolam came to Seychelles on an official visit in June 2012 which followed an official visit by the Seychellois Head of State in Mauritius in March the same year.

Supporters of the centre-right coalition Alliance Lepep hold a poster of the coalition's leader, former president Anerood Jugnauth, as they celebrate the victory of their party in the Riviere du Rempart district in the north-east of the island Mauritius on December 11, 2014, after first official partial results were released by the Electoral Commission. (AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS LARCHE) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

According to an article this morning by Mauritian publication, L’Express, Alliance Lepep - a coalition between the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and the Parti Mauricien Social Democrate (PMSD) had secured 47 of the 62 contested seats.

The ruling Labour Party (Parti travailliste - PTr) led by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) party of ex-prime minister Paul Berenger had secured just 13 seats.

The outgoing Prime Minister Ramgoolam accepted defeat after voters rejected his proposals to boost presidential powers announcing that he was stepping down.

The PTR-MMM coalition had agreed that if they won they would try to amend the constitution so the president whose role is a largely ceremonial position elected by parliament, would be directly elected. 

The opposition alliance opposed the proposed constitutional reform.

"The electorate has made its choice, I humbly accept its decision, and I will now meet the President of the Republic to submit my resignation," Ramgoolam said on national radio, speaking in Mauritius' Creole language, reads an AFP article.

For opposition leader and ex-president Anerood Jugnauth this would be his third time as prime minister of the Indian Ocean island nation with a population of some 1.3 million people.

"As promised, I will do everything so that there is a second economic miracle in the country," said 84-year-old Jugnauth in a victory speech broadcast on national television.

Jugnauth was previously prime minster between 1982-1995 and again between 2000-2003.Jugnauth was also president between 2003-2012.