- More than eight in 10 Mauritians (84%) say elected officials should prioritise voter demands rather than their own ideas.
- Based on their perceptions of parliamentarians in the past – rather than newly elected MPs – only one-sixth (17%) of citizens say members of the National Assembly “often” or “always” listen to what ordinary people have to say. Four in 10 (41%) say they do so “only sometimes,” while a similar share (39%) think they “never” do. o The view that MPs are open to hearing citizens’ concerns is especially uncommon among urban residents (9%) and poorer respondents (6% of those experiencing moderate or high lived poverty).
- One-fifth (20%) of Mauritians say they contacted a member of the National Assembly in the past year about some important problem or to give them their views. o Men are twice as likely as women to say they initiated contact with their representatives (27% vs. 13%).
- A clear majority (62%) of citizens say the National Assembly should make the country’s laws, even if it goes against the wishes of the prime minister.
- Almost eight in 10 (78%) think the prime minister should regularly explain to the National Assembly how his government spends taxpayers’ money.
Mauritius’ 2024 national election delivered a victory for the Alliance du Changement (ADC) coalition, enabling former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam to return to the post to lead the country for a fourth term. Having won 62.6% of the vote, the ADC secured an astounding 60 of the 62 directly elected seats in the National Assembly (Al Jazeera, 2024). A further eight
seats are apportioned via the best-loser system, a mechanism used to advance ethnic representation (Kasenally & Ramtohul, 2020).
Members of the National Assembly are supposed to represent all citizens, ensuring that the public interest drives the parliamentary agenda (Reddi, 2024). But critics argue that previous parliamentarians’ disregard for House rules, the speaker’s partiality, and the sidelining of opposition members of Parliament (MPs) have hampered the National Assembly’s effectiveness (Mauritius Times, 2024).
As a new administration is ushered in, what do Mauritians look forward to from their national parliamentarians? The latest Afrobarometer survey sheds light on citizens’ expectations of their elected office bearers.
Findings show that a majority of Mauritians want members of the National Assembly to prioritise voter demands rather than their own ideas. Based on their perceptions of parliamentarians in the past, a mere one-sixth of respondents say MPs often or always listen to what ordinary people have to say, and citizen-initiated contact with MPs is low, perhaps reflecting weak links between voters and their representatives.
Critically, most citizens support the legislature’s roles in lawmaking and holding the prime minister to account for how tax monies are used.
