The Labour Party (, PTr) is a
centre-left
Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commo ...
social democratic
Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
political party in
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
. It is one of four main Mauritian political parties, along with the
Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), the
Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and the
Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD). The party is led by
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
. It tends to be more popular amongst
Indo-Mauritians, especially in more rural areas.
Founded in 1936, the Labour Party is the oldest major political party in the Republic and has remained in power from 1948 to 1982, from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014. From 1983 to 1990, it was part of a coalition government as a minority partner. As a member of the Labour Party-
MMM alliance, it elected four members of parliament in the
general election of 2014.
History
The Mauritius Labour Party was founded in 1936. Its founding principles mirrored those of the
British Labour Party
The Labour Party, often referred to as Labour, is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that sits on the Centre-left politics, centre-left of the political spectrum. The party has been describe ...
: to protect workers' rights and freedoms and support a higher wage rate with paid leave. The movement was encouraged by 55 conferences held by the party leaders throughout the country. Among other goals were resolutions to obtain suffrage for working class representation in the Legislative Council, establish a Department of Labour, prohibit
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
exploitation of sugar plantations and implement
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
values among Mauritian government agencies.
The party founders were
Maurice Curé
Maurice Curé (1886-1977) was one of the founders of the Labour Party in Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Mada ...
, Jean Prosper, Mamode Assenjee, Hassenjee Jeetoo, Barthelemy Ohsan, Samuel Barbe,
Emmanuel Anquetil
Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party.
Early life
Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volm ...
, Godefroy Moutia and Pandit Sahadeo. Cure served as President of the Party until he was forced to resign in 1941, at which point Anquetil took over. Anquetil died in December 1946, and
Guy Rozemont
Guy Rozemont (1915–1956) was a Mauritian trade unionist and the third leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. He fought for workers' rights and voiced against the injustice done against them. He played a crucial role in shaping the government, ...
served as leader until his death in 1956 at age 41.
The arrival of
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...
in 1958 marked an important step. He was in favor of an independent Mauritius within the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
. Following the victory of the
Independence Party in the
general election of 1967, a constitutional agreement was made in
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
following conferences in
Lancaster
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The coalition government, including the Labour Party, and the
IFB and
CAM
Cam or CAM may refer to:
Science and technology
* Cam (mechanism), a mechanical linkage which translates motion
* Camshaft, a shaft with a cam
* Camera or webcam, a device that records images or video
In computing
* Computer-aided manufacturin ...
sealed the pact for Independence. The Labour Party, led by Ramgoolam, along with
Veerasamy Ringadoo,
Satcam Boolell
Sir Satcam Boolell GCSK QC (11 September 1920 – 23 March 2006) was a Mauritian politician who served as member of the Legislative Assembly in Mauritius. He died on 23 March 2006, in Curepipe. He was also known as "Somduth" by his peers and f ...
and Harold Walter, in coalition with the
CAM
Cam or CAM may refer to:
Science and technology
* Cam (mechanism), a mechanical linkage which translates motion
* Camshaft, a shaft with a cam
* Camera or webcam, a device that records images or video
In computing
* Computer-aided manufacturin ...
led by
Abdool Razack Mohamed
Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed (; 1 August 1906 – 8 May 1978) was an Indian-born former senior minister in the pre and post-independence cabinet of Mauritius.
Early life and family
Abdool Razack Mohamed was born in a wealthy mercantile Memon peopl ...
and the
IFB led by
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (25 December 1908 – 18 August 1977) was a Mauritian politician and one of the leading figures in the nation's independence movement.
Early life
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born in Tyack, Rivière des Anguilles in 1908. He h ...
, pushed a motion in the Legislative Council to provide for an independent country to be declared on 12 March 1968.
The Labour Party joined forces with
PMSD of
Gaetan Duval in 1969 to form a coalition government. In December 1976, Labour won only 28 seats out of 70, as opposed to 34 for the
Bérenger's MMM Boodhoo's PSM, but remained in power by forming another alliance with the PMSD. In 1982, however, the MMM won outright, and Ramgoolam even lost his parliamentary seat.
Anerood Jugnauth
Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. The c ...
of the
MSM became
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. From 1983 through 1995, the Labour Party attracted little electoral support; and in 1984,
Satcam Boolell
Sir Satcam Boolell GCSK QC (11 September 1920 – 23 March 2006) was a Mauritian politician who served as member of the Legislative Assembly in Mauritius. He died on 23 March 2006, in Curepipe. He was also known as "Somduth" by his peers and f ...
, who had replaced Ramgoolam as party leader, agreed to an electoral alliance with the
Militant Socialist Movement
The Militant Socialist Movement (, MSM) is a centre-left political party in Mauritius. It was the single largest political party in the National Assembly of Mauritius, having won 42 of the 69 seats in the 2019 general elections; however, follow ...
, which had broken away from the MMM.
In 1995 Labour returned to power with MMM's support.
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
, who had taken over the party leadership in 1991, became Prime Minister of Mauritius for the first time. It lost the subsequent
legislative election in 2000, however: its coalition with the
Mauritian Party of Xavier-Luc Duval
The Parti Mauricien Xavier-Luc Duval (PMXD) () was a Mauritian political party which was created in 1998 but was dissolved in 2009.
History
Xavier-Luc Duval was the founder and leader of the party. He formed the PMXD soon after his expulsion fro ...
secured only 36.6% of the popular vote and eight of seventy seats.
Labour returned to power in the
2005 elections as part of the
Alliance Sociale
Alliance Sociale was a left-wing political coalition of 5 parties in Mauritius. It consisted of the Mauritian Labour Party, Mauritian Party of Xavier-Luc Duval, The Greens, Republican Movement and the Mauritian Militant Socialist Movement.
The ...
, which won 42 of the 70 seats. In the
general election of 2010, the party formed the majority of L'Alliance de L'Avenir, which regrouped the Mauritius Labour Party, the MSM and the PMSD. The Alliance de L'Avenir won the
2010 general election with forty-one seats against eighteen seats for the MMM-led L'Alliance du Coeur, with one seat taken by the FSM. However, on 6 August 2011 the Alliance broke down, leaving only the Mauritius Labour Party, the PMSD and the
Republican Movement (MR) in the government. The
2014 general elections saw the victory of a MSM-PMSD-ML coalition (known as "L'alliance Lepep"). Labour Party lost and voters rejected government plans to expand presidential powers. In the November
2019 elections
The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in cou ...
, Mauritius’ ruling Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) won more than half of the seats and Labour Party lost again, securing incumbent Prime Minister
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth a new five-year term.
On the 2024 general
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
s, the
Alliance of Change, led by the Labour Party won with a clear score of 60-0.
Past leaders
* 1936-1941
Maurice Curé
Maurice Curé (1886-1977) was one of the founders of the Labour Party in Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Mada ...
* 1941-1946
Emmanuel Anquetil
Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party.
Early life
Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volm ...
* 1946-1956
Guy Rozemont
Guy Rozemont (1915–1956) was a Mauritian trade unionist and the third leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. He fought for workers' rights and voiced against the injustice done against them. He played a crucial role in shaping the government, ...
* 1956-1959
Renganaden Seeneevassen
* 1959-1984
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...
* 1984-1991
Satcam Boolell
Sir Satcam Boolell GCSK QC (11 September 1920 – 23 March 2006) was a Mauritian politician who served as member of the Legislative Assembly in Mauritius. He died on 23 March 2006, in Curepipe. He was also known as "Somduth" by his peers and f ...
* 1991–present
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
Election results
National Assembly elections
See also
*
References
{{Authority control
Labour parties
Political parties in Mauritius
Full member parties of the Socialist International
Social democratic parties in Africa
Socialist parties in Mauritius
*Main
Political parties established in 1936
1936 establishments in Mauritius