JOHANNESBURG (AP) — People in Mauritius voted Sunday for a new Parliament with the ruling party seeking to secure a second five-year term for Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in one of Africa's most stable democracies.
Jugnauth's government has faced criticism recently after it banned social media websites following a wiretapping scandal in which recorded conversations involving politicians, businesspeople, activists and journalists leaked and were published online. The ban was lifted after a few days but has raised concern among the opposition and civil society.
At least 1 million people were registered to vote in the 12th elections since Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968.
An alliance of parties led by Jugnauth’s center-left Militant Socialist Movement won a majority of seats in Parliament to cement his leadership in 2019. He is being challenged by opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam’s Alliance for Change.
Mauritius, which sits about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) off Africa’s east coast, has developed a successful economy underpinned by its finance, tourism and agricultural sectors.
The island, popular for its idyllic tropical beaches, ranks second in Africa behind Seychelles on the Human Development Index, which ranks quality of life for citizens and takes into account life expectancy, access to education and per capita income.
The World Bank has described Mauritius as a “beacon of success for sub-Saharan Africa” and says it has achieved remarkable economic growth since independence. It was briefly rated a high-income country in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic set back its tourism sector.
Mauritians are voting for 62 seats in Parliament, and the party or alliance with a majority forms the government and chooses the prime minister. Another eight lawmakers are nominated by the Electoral Supervisory Council.
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Prime Minister Pravind Jagnauth casts his vote in Mauritian elections in Port Louis, Sunday Nov. 10, 2024. (La Sentinelle via AP)
Former Mauritian Prime Minister and leader of the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) party, Paul Berenger, casts his vote in Mauritian elections in Port Louis, Sunday Nov. 10, 2024. (La Sentinelle via AP)
Leader of the Labour Party, Navin Ramgoolan, casts his vote in Mauritian elections in Port Louis, Sunday Nov. 10, 2024. (La Sentinelle via AP)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti's main airport remained closed Tuesday, a day after gangs shot a landing airplane and injured a flight attendant when violence erupted as the country swore in its new prime minister in a politically tumultuous transition.
Life in much of Haiti’s capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit Airlines airplane Monday, forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti through Thursday, but it was unclear how long closures could drag on.
On Tuesday, heavily armed police in armored cars outside the airport checked trucks used for public transportation passing by.
Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices. Streets, where just a day before gangs and police were locked in a fierce firefight, were eerily empty, with few driving by other than a motorcycle with a man who had been shot clinging to the back.
The sounds of heavy gunfire still echoed through the streets — a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti's elites and a strong push by the international community to restore peace, the country's toxic slate of gangs kept its firm hold on much of the Caribbean nation.
The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
The violence comes after a transitional council, tasked with restoring democratic order to Haiti, which hasn't held elections since 2016, decided to fire the country's interim prime minister, Garry Conille, who often was at odds with the council during his six months in office.
Despite Conille declaring the move illegal, the council rapidly swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new interim prime minister. Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and hold long awaited elections, a vow also made by his predecessor.
But many Haitians, like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre, have little taste for the political fighting, which experts say only give gangs more freedom to continue expanding their control as Haiti teeters on the brink of famine.
Jean-Pierre was among those to brave the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell the plantains, carrots, cabbage and potatoes she carried in a basket on her head. She had no choice, she said — selling was the only way she could feed her children.
“What good is a new prime minister if there's no security, if I can't move freely and sell my goods,” she said, nodding to her basket of vegetables. “This is my bank account, this is what my family depend on."
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Associated Press video journalist Pierre-Richard Luxama contributed to this report.
FILE - Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille speaks during a joint press conference with Kenya's President William Ruto at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
Journalists take cover from the exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Police officers patrol the area during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Police officers patrol a street during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A police officer looks on during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
