Mauritius elections: Prime minister jugnauth concedes defeat ahead of results

Outgoing Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth has conceded defeat in the country’s legislative elections, acknowledging the expected victory of his political rivals on Monday afternoon before official results were announced.

“It is clear that the Alliance Lepep is heading towards a major defeat,” Jugnauth stated during a press briefing around 2:00 p.m. local time.

His comments came even before preliminary results from Constituency No. 8, where he was a candidate, had been declared.

“I have done what I could for the country and its people. The public has chosen another team to lead the nation. I respect this choice,” he said.

Jugnauth concluded his remarks by extending his best wishes to the country, saying, “I wish good luck to my country and the people.”

By 2:00 p.m., early tallies from five constituencies indicated a significant lead for candidates from the Alliance for Change, led by former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.

Observers suggested that this trend was likely to continue across all constituencies.

Voters in Mauritius cast their ballots on Sunday to elect 70 members to the country’s unicameral Parliament.

Of these, 62 members are directly elected, while eight “best losers” are appointed to complete the total of 70 seats for a five-year term.

Following the results, the leader of the majority party or alliance will be named the new Prime Minister.