ELECTION UPDATE 2005 MAURITIUS Number 2 & 3 16 September 2005 Contents No. 2 Constituency Delimitation 1 Voter Registration 1 Political Party Registration 2 Candidate Nomination 2 Campaign Process 4 Civic/Voter Education 5 Role of Security Forces 5 Printing of Ballot Papers 5 Persons Voting by Proxy 5 No. 3 Polling Stations 6 Secrecy of the Ballot 6 Security of the Ballot Papers 6 Counting 6 Announcements of the Results 6 Nomination of the Best Losers 7 Post Election Review 7 New Parliament 7 Malaise between President and Prime Minister 8 Compiled by Amedee Darga EISA Editorial Team Jackie Kalley, Khabele Matlosa, Denis Kadima Published with the assistance of the New Zealand Embassy Constituency Delimitation and the time frame for any notice through the written representation to be made.1 media, radio and television for The Electoral Boundaries voters to come to designated Commission is responsible for It is stipulated by law that every offices in each constituency to constituency delimitation. As ten years, consultations take verify the voter’s register and to per the Constitution, the place for any modification to ensure that they have been duly process must be and is done the electoral boundaries. This registered. Corrections, if transparently with full last occurred in 1999. required, are then effected and opportunity given to all the lists become official by 15 stakeholders including civil Voter Registration August. society to make representation. Voter registration is an annual When it is finally published, the The Constitution provides exercise. The Commission Register of Electors comes into clearly that the Commission organises a house-to-house force on 16 August of each year may “take into account registration update at the and remains in force until the representations made to it in beginning of each year. During next Register is compiled and respect of any proposed April each year, the comes into force. alteration of a boundary” and it Commission issues a public has to give public notice of any For the current elections, the proposed alteration to be made 1 The Electoral Boundaries official voter’s register of and fix the manner in which Commission Regulations 1976 August 2004 will therefore be election update 2004 mauritius number 2 & 3 used. Those who reached their • F.S.M- Front Solidarité • Mouvement Traivalleurs eighteenth birthday after that Mauricienne Mauriciens date and were registered • Freelance Front Populaire • Mouvement Travailliste between August 2004 and April Musulman (FPM) Socialiste (MTS) 2005 will not be on the voter’s • Groupe de Cinq • Mouvement Populaire list; 5,000 such voters are in • Hindu Shive Sena Lendroit that situation. • Hizbullah National Party • Muslim League • Muvmen Premye Me • Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) • National Socialist Party On this issue, the Sachs Report • L'Alliance Pour La Justice • Organisation du Peuple de recommended the continuous • Lalit Rodrigues registration of voters until the • Les Vertes Fraternels • Parti Action Libéral day of the writ for elections. • Majority Party ( Partie de la • Parti Anti Esclavages Majorité) • Parti Congress National The total number of registered • Mauritius Labour Party • Parti du Peuple Mauricien voters is 817, 305 for the 21 • Parti Travaillist (PTr) (PPM) constituencies voting in the 299 • Mauritius Party Rights • Parti Libération Mauricien polling stations. See Table One • MDN Raj Dayal (Mouvement (PL.M) at the end for the lists of Démocratique National Raj • Parti Mauricien Sociale constituencies, number of Dayal) Démocrate (PMSD) polling stations and voters per • Millenium Party • Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval, constituency. • Mouvement Authentique PMXD Mauricien (MAM) • Parti Socialiste Political Party Registration • Mouvement Civique D'Action • Parti Socialiste Mauricien de No 14 • Parti Zenfants Malaise Under the 1968 National • Mouvement Démocratique • Party Malin Assembly Elections Mauricien (MDM) • Patriotic Reformist Regulations (Regulation 7), the • Mouvement Justice National Organisation • Mouvement Libération • Rajput Socialist Party Electoral Commissioner Militant (MLM) • Ralliement des Rodriguais published a notice on 10 May • Mouvement Mauricien Pour Responsables (RRR) 2005 calling for the Application La Paix (MMP) • Rassemblement des for Registration of Political • Mouvement Militant Travailleurs Sociaux Parties/Party Alliances. The Mauricien (MMM) • Rassemblement Socialiste notice invited each political • Mouvement Militant Mauricien (RSM) party wishing to be registered Socialiste Mauricienne • Rezistants ek Alternativ under paragraph 2(1) of (MMSM) • Tamil Council Schedule 1 to the Constitution • Mouvement National • Top Dhamaka Vrai Rouge to apply to the Electoral Mauricien (MNM) • Union Mauricienne Commissioner on or before 20 • Mouvement Patriotique • Union Patriots Illois May 2005. At the close of the • Mouvement Popiler Mauricien period, 70 parties were • Mouvement Progressive • Voice of Hindu registered. There were no Militant rejections and they are listed as • Mouvement Républicain All parties were allocated follows: • Mouvement Rodriguais symbols at the time of their • Mouvement Socialiste registration. These were • Alliance MSM/ MMM Démocrate • Alliance Sociale featured on the official ballot • Mouvement Socialiste paper against the names of their • Comité D'Action Musulman Indépendent candidates. Mauricien • Mouvement Socialist Militant • Conservative Party (MSM) • Démocratie Mauricienne • Mouvement Solidarité Candidate Nomination • Démocratie Union Socialist National (MSN) Mauricien (DUSM) • Mouvement Solidarité At Party Level • Ekta Party Travailleur Mauricien There is a semblance of • Front Progressive du Peuple Rodrigues Agalega democracy in the main parties Rodriguais (FPPR) (MSTMRA) but no real internal democracy, certainly not in terms of process 2 election update 2004 mauritius number 2 & 3 for selection and choice of Returning Officers will on 30 candidates were nominated candidates. There are no May 2005 between the hours of at the close of the primaries, even at party level. 9 a.m and 3 p.m at the Nomination Day. The law The party leaders determine the Nomination Centre for each provides for a period of choice, either alone or in constituency (list of such seven days to be given for conjunction with a small team centres given in the notice) candidates to withdraw their of close collaborators, selected proceed to the nomination and by the leaders themselves. if there is no opposition, to the nomination, if they so wish. election of three members for The selection of candidates by each of the twenty On 6 June, the Electoral the two alliances follows a very constituencies of Mauritius and Commissioner's Office complex process. This involves of two members for the announced that 42 candidates negotiation as to the constituency of Rodrigues. had voluntarily withdrawn their distribution of number of Every nomination paper must nomination papers for candidates for each partner, the be signed by any eight or more forthcoming National ethnic and sub ethnic allotment registered electors of the Assembly elections. and positioning by constituency in which the constituency, gender factor and candidate seeks election. The total number of candidates the specific choice of The nomination paper must therefore contesting the general candidates for individual specify the name, address and elections stood at 634 as at 6 constituencies by the opponent, occupation of the candidate as June. This changed to 645 amongst others. well as a declaration by the following the successful candidate challenge of the Electoral The MSM-MMM-PMSD • That he is qualified Commission’s decision, as referred to later. alliance made its list of • The party, if he so wishes, candidates public three weeks duly registered, to which he before the official nomination belongs The highest number of candidates was 44 in day while the Alliance Sociale • The community to which he Constituency No 9, whilst the presented its list ten days after belongs within the meaning lowest number was 6 in the former. of paragraph 3 (4) of Constituency No 21. Schedule 1 to the In the case of all the other Constitution parties, the selection was made The parties/alliances that • That he has not been and by the party leader. will not consent to be fielded the highest number of candidates were as follows: At Formal Level nominated as a candidate for election as a member of • Alliance MSM-MMM- As per the writ for election PMSD – 60 candidates, issued by the President of the the National Assembly in present in all constituencies. Republic on 9 May 2005 and any other constituency. • Alliance Sociale – 60 after the dissolution of the candidates, present in all National Assembly, 30 May Application for a constituencies 2005 was the day officially Nomination Form for each • Front Solidarite designated for the nomination candidate is posted on a Mauricienne – 55 candidates in all except one constituency of candidates for the elections. notice board outside the • Parti du Peuple Mauricien – room in the Nomination 51 candidates in all except On 9 May, the Electoral Centre where the two constituencies Commissioner issued a public applications are received. • Lalit – 32 candidates in all notice in the media concerning The nomination paper is constituencies. However this the election of 62 members of therefore immediately party has placed a minimum the National Assembly under available to any member of of one candidate per the National Assembly constituency and