The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Mauritius is the official council which advises the President of the Republic in the making of major decisions. It is led by the Prime Minister and a total of 23 ministers and the Attorney General, who is considered to be a cabinet member. The constitution of the Republic provides a cabinet under the leadership of the Prime Minister that must be appointed by the President after each general elections.
A cabinet minister must be a member of parliament whether directly or indirectly elected, with the exception of the Attorney General. The Attorney General, who is part of the cabinet, is appointed at the discretion of the President and on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Every Cabinet Minister taking office must take the oath of swearing allegiance to the President at The State House in front of the President, the first lady, Vice President, Prime Minister and other parliamentarians. Therefore, using the section 59 part 3 of the constitution, the President of the Republic of Mauritius, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoints the person to take office of Minister, taking effect from the swearing of the oath and the signature of the appointment letter.
The last swearing-in ceremony was held on 12 November 2019, where the President appointed a new cabinet composed of the Prime Minister and 24 ministers, including the Attorney General.[1]
History
editAccording to the Constitution of Mauritius, there shall be a Cabinet for Mauritius consisting of the Prime Minister and the other ministers. The functions of the Cabinet shall be to advise the President in the governing of Mauritius and the Cabinet shall be collectively responsible to the National Assembly for any advice given to the President by or under the general authority of the Cabinet and for all things done by or under the authority of any Minister in execution of his office.
Subsection (2) shall not apply in relation to the appointment and removal from office of Ministers and Junior Ministers, the assigning of responsibility to any Minister under section 62, or the authorisation of another Minister to perform the functions of the Prime Minister during absence or illness, the dissolution of Parliament.[clarification needed]
There shall be, in addition to the offices of Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney-General, such other offices of Minister of the Government as may be prescribed by Parliament or, subject to any law, established by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister.
Provided that the number of offices of Minister, other than the Prime Minister, shall not be more than 24,[citation needed] the President, acting in his own deliberate judgment, shall appoint as Prime Minister the member of the Assembly who appears to him best able to command the support of the majority of the members of the Assembly, and shall, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, appoint the Deputy Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and the other Ministers from among the members of the Assembly:
Provided that where occasion arises for making an appointment while Parliament is dissolved, a person who was a member of the Assembly immediately before the dissolution may be appointed; and a person may be appointed Attorney-General, notwithstanding that he is not (or, as the case may be, was not) a member of the Assembly.
Tenure of office of Ministers
editWhere a resolution of no confidence in the Government is passed by the Assembly and the Prime Minister does not within three days resign from his office, the President shall remove the Prime Minister from office unless, in pursuance of section 57(1),[clarification needed] Parliament has been or is to be dissolved in consequence of such resolution.
Where at any time between the holding of a general election and the first sitting of the Assembly thereafter the President, acting in his own deliberate judgment, considers that, in consequence of changes in the membership of the Assembly resulting from that general election, the Prime Minister will not be able to command the support of a majority of the members of the Assembly, the President may remove the Prime Minister from office:
Provided that the President shall not remove the Prime Minister from office within the period of 10 days immediately following the date prescribed for polling at that general election unless he is satisfied that a party or party alliance in opposition to the Government and registered for the purposes of that general election under paragraph 2 of the First Schedule[clarification needed] has at that general election gained a majority of all seats in the Assembly.
The office of Prime Minister or any other Minister shall become vacant where he ceases to be a member of the Assembly otherwise than by reason of a dissolution of Parliament or where, at the first sitting of the Assembly after any general election, he is not a member of the Assembly. Provided that it shall not apply to the office of Attorney-General where the holder thereof was not a member of the Assembly on the preceding dissolution of Parliament. The office of a Minister (other than the Prime Minister) shall become vacant where the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, so directs, where the Prime Minister resigns from office within 3 days after the passage by the Assembly of a resolution of no confidence in the Government or is removed from office under subsection (1) or (2) or upon the appointment of any person to the office of Prime Minister.[clarification needed] Where for any period the Prime Minister or any other Minister is unable by reason of section 36(1)[clarification needed] to perform his functions as a member of the Assembly, he shall not during that period perform any of his functions as Prime Minister or Minister, as the case may be.
Cabinet functions
editWhere the Prime Minister is absent from Mauritius or is by reason of illness or of section 60(5) unable to perform the functions conferred on him by this Constitution, the President may, by directions in writing, authorise the Deputy Prime Minister or, in his absence, some other Minister to perform those functions (other than the functions conferred by this section) and that Minister may perform those functions until his authority is revoked by the President. The powers of the President under this section shall be exercised by him in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister
Provided that where the President, acting in his own deliberate judgment, considers that it is impracticable to obtain the advice of the Prime Minister owing to the Prime Minister's absence or illness, or where the Prime Minister is unable to tender advice by reason of section 60(5), the President may exercise those powers without that advice and in his own deliberate judgment.
Junior Ministers
editThe President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, may appoint Junior Ministers from among the members of the Assembly to assist Ministers in the performance of their duties. The number of Junior Ministers shall not exceed 10. Where occasion arises for making appointments while the Assembly is dissolved, a person who was a member of the Assembly immediately before the dissolution may be appointed as a Junior Minister. The office of a Junior Minister shall become vacant where the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, so directs;where the Prime Minister resigns from office within 3 days after the passage by the Assembly of a resolution of no confidence in the Government or is removed from office upon the appointment of a person to the office of Prime Minister. Where for any period a Junior Minister is unable by reason of section 36(1) to perform his functions as a Member of the Assembly, he shall not during that period perform any of his functions as a Junior Minister.
Swearing allegiance
editEach Minister, whether Cabinet or Junior Minister, must take the oath and swear their allegiance to the President in according to the section 53(9) of the constitution.
I, (name of the Minister), do solemnly affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Mauritius according to law. I, (name of the Minister), being appointed Minister do solemnly affirm that I will do to the best of my judgment at all time when so required freely give my counsel and advice to the President for the good Management of the Public affairs of Mauritius and I do further solemnly affirm that I will not on any account at any time whatsoever disclose the counsel, advice, opinion or vote of any particular minister and that I will not except with the authority of the cabinet and to such extent as may be required for the good management of the Affairs of Mauritius directly or indirectly reveal the business or proceedings of the Minister or any matter coming to my knowledge in my capacity as such and that in all things, I will be a true and faithful minister.[2]
Allowances and line of succession
editThe cabinet must be composed of 25 sitting members and is led by the Prime Minister. There are two different posts similar to each other are the Deputy Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister. They are both ministers but the Deputy Prime Minister is the first person to hold office in case of incapacity of the PM and the office of Vice Prime Ministers are also provided but they are given less allowances and benefits.
| Office | Annual Allowances | Monthly Allowances | Yearly Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Rs 2,520,000 US$58,600 |
Rs 210,000 US$ 4880 |
Rs 1,308,000 US $30,400 |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Rs 1,800,000 US $41,800 |
Rs 150,000 US$3,480 |
Rs 1,308,000 US $30,400 |
| Vice Prime Minister | Rs 1,740,000 US $40, 400 |
Rs 145,000 US $3,372 |
Rs 1,308,000 US $30,400 |
| Minister | Rs 1,740,000 US $40, 400 |
Rs 145,000 US $3,372 |
Rs 1,308,000 US $30,400 |
| Junior Minister | Rs 1,200,000 US $27,900 |
Rs 100,000 US $2,325 |
|
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Rs 1,200,000 US $27,900 |
Rs 100,000 US $2,325 |
Cabinet Ministers
editThis article needs to be updated. (November 2019) |
Following the 10 November 2024 General Elections the new cabinet was sworn in on 22 November 2024 in front of the President Prithvirajsing Roopun on the recommendation of the prime minister. The cabinet is composed of 14 ministers of the Parti Travailliste, 8 of the MMM, 1 of the Nouveaux Démocrates (ND), and 1 of Rezistans ek Alternativ (ReA). The nominated Attorney General, Gavin Glover, took office on 29 November 2024.[3]
| Portfolio | Minister | Political Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Prime Minister Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications Minister of Finance Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity |
Navin Ramgoolam | Ptr | 2024- |
| 2. Deputy Prime Minister | Paul Bérenger | MMM | 2024- |
| 3. Minister of Housing and Land | Shakeel Mohamed | Ptr | 2024- |
| 4. Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change | Rajesh Bhagwan | MMM | 2024- |
| 5. Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries | Arvin Boolell | Ptr | 2024- |
| 6. Minister of National Infrastructure | Ajay Gunness | MMM | 2024- |
| 7. Minister of Health and Wellness | Anil Bachoo | Ptr | 2024- |
| 8. Minister of Tourism | Richard Duval | ND | 2024- |
| 9. Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity | Ashok Subron | ReA | 2024- |
| 10. Attorney General | Gavin Glover | 2024- | |
| 11. Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning | Jyoti Jeetun | MMM | Nov 2024- |
| 12. Minister of Energy and Public Utilities | Patrick Assirvaden | 2024- | |
| 13. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade | Ritish Ramful | Ptr | 2024- |
| 14. Minister of Youth and Sports | Deven Nagalingum | MMM | 2024- |
| 15. Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations | Reza Uteem | MMM | 2024- |
| 16. Minister of Land Transport | Osman Mahomed | Ptr | 2024- |
| 17. Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare | Arianne Navarre-Marie | MMM | 2024- |
| 18. Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection | Michael Sik Yuen | Ptr | 2024- |
| 19. Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research | Kaviraj Sukon | Ptr | 2024- |
| 20. Minister of Industry, SME and Cooperatives | Aadil Ameer Meea | MMM | 2024- |
| 21. Minister of Education and Human Resource | Mahend Gungapersad | Ptr | 2024- |
| 22. Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation | Avinash Ramtohul | Ptr | 2024- |
| 23. Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms | Raj Pentiah | Ptr | 2024- |
| 24. Minister of Local Government | Ranjiv Woochit | Ptr | 2024- |
| 25. Minister of Arts and Culture | Mahendra Gondeea | Ptr | 2024- |
| Portfolio | Junior Minister | Political Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Minister of Finance | Dhaneswar Damry | Ptr | 2024- |
| 2. Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change | Joanna Bérenger | MMM | 2024- |
| 3. Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries | Fabrice David | Ptr | 2024- |
| 4. Minister of Tourism | Sydney Pierre | Ptr | 2024- |
| 5. Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity | Kugan Parapen | ReA | 2024- |
| 6. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade | Rajen Narsinghen | Ptr | 2024- |
| 7. Minister of Youth and Sports | Karen Foo Kune | MMM | 2024- |
| 8. Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare | Anisthta Babooram | Ptr | 2024- |
| 9. Minister of Local Government | Fawzi Allymun | MMM | 2024- |
| 10. Minister of Arts and Culture | Véronique Leu-Govind | ND | 2024- |
References
edit- ^ Nasseem, ACKBARALLY (23 March 2019). "Mauritius government publishes new list of ministers". Panafrican News Agency. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Le nouveau cabinet ministériel en chiffres 22-Nov-2024". Defimedia. Retrieved 23 November 2024.