Mauritius Alliance du Changement: Two Years of Cracks, Riots and Rs 700bn Debt

Two years ago, the Alliance du Changement delivered one of the most decisive election victories in Mauritian history, winning every single seat in the National Assembly in a 60-0 sweep at the November 2024 general election. The coalition came to power with a clear mandate: restore transparency in public life, stabilise the economy, and open up opportunities for young Mauritians. Today, as that anniversary passes, the picture looks considerably more complicated.

The alliance that looked unbreakable on election night has since fractured in ways that few observers predicted. Its parliamentary majority remains intact on paper, but the political cohesion that produced that landslide has visibly eroded.

The most significant rupture came from within the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM), one of Mauritius's oldest political parties and a key partner in the coalition. On 13 April 2026, veteran MMM leader Paul Berenger, along with his daughter Joanna Berenger and member of parliament Chetan Baboolall, formally broke with the alliance. That split led directly to the creation of a new party, the Fron Militan Progresis (FMP), launched on 9 May 2026. The departure of Berenger, a towering figure in Mauritian politics since the 1970s, marked a generational and strategic rupture that reshaped the opposition landscape.

The coalition also lost a government minister. On 3 August 2026, Veronique Leu-Govind, who had served as Junior Minister for Arts and Culture and was formerly president of the Nouveaux Democrates party, resigned from the government. Her departure followed a cannabis importation affair involving her husband, Gulshan Govind, a case that drew significant public attention and placed the government under pressure over accountability standards it had promised to uphold.

A further resignation followed with the departure of Sydney Pierre, adding to a pattern of attrition inside the governing coalition.

Beyond the political reshuffles, Mauritius experienced a period of social unrest described by commentators as unprecedented in more than a decade. Riots and civil disorder broke out, shaking public confidence in the government's ability to maintain stability while managing deep-seated economic grievances.

On the economic front, the numbers are stark. Public debt has reached approximately Rs 700 billion, a figure that places enormous pressure on public finances and limits the government's room to manoeuvre on social spending and investment. The Bank of Mauritius has already intervened in currency markets, injecting $155 million in 2026 alone, yet a shortage of foreign currency continues to affect businesses and consumers.

What this means: For ordinary Mauritians, the promise of the 2024 election was real change after years of frustration with the previous administration. Two years in, the structural challenges of governing a small, open economy with a rising debt load, combined with coalition politics and social pressure, have tested that promise severely. The coming months will determine whether the alliance can stabilise and refocus, or whether further defections and public discontent will define its legacy before the next electoral cycle.

Source: ION News