2025 Mauritian municipal elections

At the previous municipal elections, held on 14 June 2015, then-Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth's Alliance Lepep won every single seat on all municipal councils. The alliance comprised the MSM, the PMSD and Muvman Liberater (ML).^[2] The elections saw a voter turnout of just 35%, a decrease from 44% in 2012.^[3] The municipal polls followed Alliance Lepep's landslide victory in the 2014 parliamentary election, which ousted Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam's government. The Labour Party, led by Ramgoolam, declined to contest the 2015 elections, which he claimed would not be free and fair. Ramgoolam also alleged that voters were fearful of repercussions for supporting his party. The MMM, then the largest opposition party in the National Assembly, contested the municipal polls but suffered from internal divisions, with some members expressing dissatisfaction with long-serving Party Leader Paul Bérenger's refusal to step down after the MMM's 2014 defeat.^[2]

Originally expected to be held in 2021, the MSM-led government postponed the elections that year and again in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic while extending the council term.^[4] In 2023, the government delayed the elections for a third time to 2025, with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth citing a need for local government reforms.^[1] The opposition denounced the postponements as "cowardice". Opposition Parliamentary Whip Patrice Armance questioned the reasoning for the first two postponements, as Rodrigues held elections during the pandemic. MMM MP Deven Nagalingum claimed the MSM's fear of defeat was behind the delay.^[4]

Elections for municipal councils are conducted via the plurality bloc voting system and comprise wards that each return four councillors. The Municipal City Council of Port Louis has 32 members representing eight wards. The municipal town councils of Vacoas-Phoenix and Beau Bassin-Rose Hill have 24 members elected from six wards, while the Quatre Bornes and Curepipe councils have 20 members and five wards.^[5][6] The president of Mauritius, on the advice of the prime minister, sets the dates of the municipal elections. Eligible candidates must be at least 18 years old and residents of the municipality they run in.^[5] Voters were also required to be at least 18 years old to register. Amendments to the Representation of the People Act allowed individuals who had reached voting age or would turn 18 by the nomination day to enrol through the electoral commission's supplementary register, the Quasi Live Register.^[7] A total of 400,887 individuals were registered to vote in the elections; Port Louis had the largest share with 114,354 voters,^[8] followed by 88,587 in Vacoas-Phoenix and 77,546 in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill. Quatre Bornes had 64,488 electors, while Curepipe had the least with 59,912.^[9] Unlike in previous elections, ballots were counted on polling day immediately after voting ended.^[7] Unless the president dissolves the municipal councils early or approves the extension of the council term, councillors serve a six-year term.^[5][10] After the elections, the councils elect a mayor and deputy mayor.^[5]

Alliances and groups that field more than two candidates are required to ensure that two-thirds of their contestant lineup is not of the same gender.^[5] Three Alliance Lepep member parties, the MSM, the PMSD, and Muvman Patriot Morisien, declined to contest the municipal polls. Instead, the parties focused on rebuilding support after the alliance was swept from power at the 2024 general election,^[11][12] which it lost in a landslide to Ramgoolam's Alliance du Changement.^[13]

Initially, 407 candidates registered to contest the elections, 65% of whom were men, while women comprised 34%.^[14] Three candidates later withdrew; two were independents, and one was a VréML member.^[15] The elections saw 22 groups field candidates, including two alliances. Prime Minister Ramgoolam's Alliance du Changement comprised the Labour Party, the MMM, the New Democrats and Rezistans ek Alternativ.^[16] The alliance fielded 120 candidates, the most of all contesting blocs.^[15] The Labour Party, the MMM, and Rezistants ek Alternativ contested all five councils, while the New Democrats only ran candidates in Curepipe and Vacoas-Phoenix.^[17] The Linion Moris Alliance was led into the election by Didier Michel and comprised Les Verts Fraternels, Linion Pep Morisien and Rassemblement Mauricien.^[18] The alliance's candidate lineup in Port Louis' Ward 5 and Curepipe's Ward 3 failed to meet the gender quota. As a result, Electoral Commissioner Irfan Abdool Rahman announced that the Linion Moris contestants in these wards would instead run as independents.^[19] The Reform Party, led by Roshi Bhadain,^[20] fielded 81 candidates^[15] and was the only bloc other than Alliance du Changement to compete in all five municipalities.^[20]

Many blocs reportedly lacked a public presence during the campaign, dampening voter enthusiasm.^[21] Although Alliance du Changement organised a rally in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill for Labour Day, many other blocs did not host large-scale gatherings, instead utilising lower-scale campaign methods. Citing a lack of resources to host a rally, Anil Gayan's VréML focused on door-to-door canvassing.^[22] The Vacoas-Phoenix-based Castel Scouts group pledged to provide bus shelters for local communities and continue its work on combatting the drug epidemic.^[23] En Avant Moris, led by Patrick Belcourt, also campaigned on fighting the drug crisis and only ran candidates in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill. The bloc advocated installing solar panels on all municipal buildings and called for the introduction of programs offering further opportunities to the town's artists and athletes.^[24] The Reform Party campaigned on providing an alternative to counter-balance the Alliance du Changement-dominated National Assembly.^[25] Concerned with a potential low voter turnout, Prime Minister Ramgoolam urged the electorate to cast a ballot and not take the elections for granted.^[26] Political observer Bernard Saminaden believed the polls would witness a low voter turnout, which he suggested was due to many voters perceiving fewer issues at stake than in the 2024 general election.^[27]

President Dharam Gokhool dissolved the municipal councils on 17 March and issued the writ for the elections two days later.^[7][28] The nomination day for contestants to register their candidacies occurred on 5 April,^[7][1] while candidates had until 8 April to withdraw if they intended to do so.^[19] Voter registration commenced on 20 March and concluded on 24 March.^[29] On election day, polling stations were open from 7:00 to 17:00.^[30][31] A voter in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill was taken to a police station for questioning after photographing a candidate casting a ballot at a polling station. The voter, who was related to the candidate, wished to use the photo to encourage others to vote. A polling official had declined the voter's request to photograph the candidate and said such an action was prohibited. An investigation into the incident was launched.^[32]