Pravind Jugnauth - Early Politics

Early Politics

Pravind Jugnauth officially joined the Militant Socialist Movement in 1990 and helped as an activist member of the party. He saw his father remaining in power for a fourth time as Prime Minister in 1991 where he became more active in politics. He was candidate for the first time in the general elections of 1995 in constituency Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle but was defeated and came fourth due to the landslide victory of the Labour Party and Mauritius Militant Movement. In 1996 he was elected as Councillor in the town of Vacoas-Phoenix until 2000 where he stood as candidate in the same constituency but returned as first member of parliament for the same constituency as 1995. He was elected as Deputy Leader of the MSM in 1999.

Navin Ramgoolam resigned as Prime Minister few days after and Cassam Uteem appointed Sir Anerood Jugnauth to the Clarisse House. Pravind was then appointed as Minister of Agriculture in September 2000. He served as such from 2000 to September 2003. He was then appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Pravind experienced the downfall of his political party. The electorate of the MSM shifted from the support of more than 30% to less than 5% of the population gradually from 2003 up to now. In 2004 while the MSM was the largest party in parliament and forming a coalition government, a poll indicated that the Labour Party had a support of 46%, the Mauritian Militant Movement had 39% and the remaining of only 15% associated them with the MSM. While the Labour party was in force having increased from a support of less than 10% in 2000 to 46% in 2004, the MMM also had an increase in approval ratings. The MSM was the only party to shift from being the most powerful to the less powerful party in the country.

In 2008 the MSM once again lost some of its supporters. A new poll was made 2008 by a local newspaper which gave the Labour Party a total of 51% of support of the population, the MMM coming in second position with 45 and the MSM came last with only 4% of the poll. Pravind Jugnauth's image as a young and more democratic leader was tarnished when he lost the major of his supporters. Many MSM members joined either the MMM or the Labour party.In an Issue of 2 October 2011, a local newspaper made a recent poll and the MMM came out first with 64% of approval and the Labours received 39% and the remaining 5% did not associate them with the two parties probably showing the electorate of the MSM.