Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of
English common law in certain areas
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Cassam UTEEM (since 1 July 1992) and Vice President Rabindranath GHURBURRUN (since 1 July 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Navin RAMGOOLAM (since 27 December 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 27 December 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held NA June 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president and are responsible to the National Assembly election results : Cassam UTEEM elected president and Rabindranath GHURBURRUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (66 seats - 62 popularly elected, 4 appointed; members serve five-year terms); note - the election commission appoints four members from the losing political parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities elections: last held on 20 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - MLP/MMM 65%, MSM/RMM 20%, other 15%; seats by party - MLP 35, MMM 25, allies of MLP and MMM on Rodrigues Island 2; appointed were Rodrigues Movement 2, PMSD 1, Hizbullah 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition : MLP/MMM alliance, consisting of Mauritian Labor
Party or MLP [Navin RAMGOOLAM] and Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM
[Paul BERENGER]
opposition: MSM/MSR alliance consisting of the Militant Socialist
Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] and the Mauritian Militant
Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING]; Organization of the
People of Rodrigues or OPR [Louis Serge CLAIR]; Mauritius Social
Democrat Party or PMSD [Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Hizbullah [Imam Mustapha
BEEHARRY]
Political pressure groups and leaders: various labor unions