Leader of the Opposition of the Republic of Mauritius
Chef de l'opposition
Coat of arms of Mauritius
Flag of Mauritius
Incumbent
Xavier-Luc Duval
since 4 March 2021
StyleThe Honourable
Reports toThe President of the Republic of Mauritius
AppointerThe President of the Republic of Mauritius
Term lengthWhile leader of the largest political party in the National Assembly that is not in government
Inaugural holderSir Gaëtan Duval
Formation12 March 1968
SalaryRs 1.9 Million
Politics of Mauritius
Constitution
Presidency
Government
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

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.

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 Xavier-Luc Duval who was appointed on March 4, 2021.

Overview

The 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

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 Democrat 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) 		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 Democrat Party
5. Paul Bérenger
(born 1945) 		21 August 1983 15 September 1987 1983 Mauritian Militant Movement
6. Prem Nababsing 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) 		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 Democrat Party
13. Arvin Boolell
(born 1953) 		14 November 2019 1 March 2021 2019 Labour Party
(12) Xavier-Luc Duval
(born 1958) 		4 March 2021 Incumbent 2019 Mauritian Social Democrat Party
Parties
  Mauritian Social Democrat Party (PMSD)
  Union Démocratique Mauricienne (UDM)
  Independent Forward Bloc (IFB)
  Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM)
  Labour Party (PTR)
  Rodrigues Movement (RM)
  Militant Socialist Movement (MSM)

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leaders of the Opposition (Mauritius).
  1. ^ "National Assembly - Introduction". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Leader of Opposition". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  3. ^ 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.
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