Mauritius Parliament Reshaped Two Years After Historic 60-0 Vote

When the Alliance du Changement swept every single seat in the November 10, 2024 general election, winning 60 constituencies out of 60, it was the most decisive electoral result in Mauritian history. Eighteen months on, that unity has begun to fray, with a string of departures, ministerial reshuffles and the birth of a new political party reshaping the balance of power in the National Assembly.

The first notable shift involved Franco Quirin, who had been elected as a member of the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM), one of the parties within the Alliance du Changement coalition. During 2025, Quirin was expelled from the MMM and continued to sit in Parliament as an independent MP for Constituency No. 20, covering the Beau Bassin and Petite Riviere area.

Changes also reached inside the government itself. In August 2025, Anishta Babooram, who had been serving as a Junior Minister at the Ministry of Gender Equality, was transferred to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The move followed reported tensions between Babooram and her supervising minister, Arianne Navarre-Marie.

The most significant rupture, however, came in early 2026. In March of that year, Joanna Berenger resigned from her position as Junior Minister for the Environment. Her resignation was directly linked to the departure of her father, veteran politician Paul Berenger, from the government. Paul Berenger, who had been serving as Deputy Prime Minister, stepped down from that role on March 20, 2026. He then formally resigned from the MMM, the party he had led for decades, on April 13, 2026.

Joanna Berenger and fellow MMM lawmaker Chetan Baboolall both followed Paul Berenger out of the party. All three subsequently joined the opposition benches and took part in founding a new political movement called the Fron Militan Progresis, known by its initials FMP.

What this means: The Alliance du Changement was elected on a platform of change and accountability after years of Labour-led government. Its 60-0 result gave it an extraordinary mandate, but also left Parliament without any formal opposition at the outset. The gradual emergence of independent MPs, reshuffled ministers and now a new opposition grouping signals that Mauritian politics is returning to a more contested shape. For voters, the creation of the FMP in particular means there is now an organised opposition presence in the National Assembly, even if it remains small. For the ruling coalition, managing internal tensions without losing its commanding parliamentary majority will be a defining challenge heading toward the next electoral cycle.

Source: ION News