POLITICIANS from Mauritius

Top 9

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Mauritian Politicians of all time. This list of famous Mauritian Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Anerood Jugnauth (1930 - 2021)

With an HPI of 53.64, Anerood Jugnauth is the most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages on wikipedia.

Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, PV, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. A central figure of Mauritian politics in the 1980s and 1990s, he was Leader of the Opposition from 1976 to 1982. He served four consecutive terms as prime minister from 1982 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003. He was then elected as President from 2003 to 2012. Following his party's victory in the 2014 general elections, he served his sixth and final term as prime minister, becoming the nation's longest serving prime minister with more than 18 years of tenure, overtaking Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who held the office for 14 years. Under Jugnauth's leadership, his party/alliances won 5 general parliamentary elections in a row in 1976, 1982, 1983, 1987, and 1991. He then led the MMM in its first electoral campaign and was presented as prime minister in 1976. The MMM won but could not govern due to a hung parliament and Jugnauth became Leader of the Opposition up to 1982 where the MMM-PSM alliance won all the seats. He became prime minister up to 1995. He was appointed again as prime minister in 2000 and finally as President in 2003. Jugnauth was a cabinet minister during the leadership of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam from 1965 up to 1969. In 1970, he moved out and went to the newly created political party of the Mauritian Militant Movement, where he eventually became its leader in 1982. He created his own political party called Militant Socialist Movement in 1983 and was once more elected. His party remained in power up to 1995. Jugnauth founded the Militant Socialist Movement party in 1983. He was honoured with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards for his continued support for India's causes and concerns and for strengthening India's relationship with Mauritius. Following his tenure as President, Jugnauth led an alliance known as "L'Alliance LEPEP" which won the 2014 general elections. He resigned in January 2017 and was succeeded by his son Pravind Jugnauth as prime minister. Jugnauth was made Queen's Counsel in 1980 and was made a member of the Privy Council in 1983. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 when Mauritius was still one of the Queen's realms.

2. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900 - 1985)

With an HPI of 51.76, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam is the 2nd most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first prime minister, and fifth governor-general. He is widely recognized as the nation's founding father. After Guy Rozemont's death in 1956, Ramgoolam served as the leader of the Labour Party of Mauritius until his death in 1985 and led the country to independence in 1968. His son, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, served as the third and fifth prime minister of Mauritius.

3. Prithvirajsing Roopun (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 47.41, Prithvirajsing Roopun is the 3rd most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Prithvirajsing Roopun GCSK (Mauritian Creole pronunciation: [pʁitviʁad͡ʒsiŋ ʁupʌn]; born 24 May 1959) is a Mauritian politician serving as the seventh president of Mauritius since 2019.

4. Ameenah Gurib (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 47.05, Ameenah Gurib is the 4th most famous Mauritian Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim (Mauritian Creole pronunciation: [bibi amina fiːədos ɡəʁib fakim]) GCSK (born 17 October 1959) is a Mauritian politician and biodiversity scientist who served as the sixth president of Mauritius from 2015 to 2018. In December 2014, she was selected to be the presidential candidate of the Alliance Lepep. After Kailash Purryag resigned on 29 May 2015, both Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Leader of the Opposition Paul Berenger positively welcomed her nomination, which was unanimously approved in a vote in the National Assembly. Gurib-Fakim is the first woman elected as president of the country and is the third woman to have served as Head of State following Queen Elizabeth II and Monique Ohsan Bellepeau, who preceded her in this office and was her first Vice President. She served as a 2019 keynote speaker of Cambridge University's conference "Africa Together: Which Way Forward?" hosted by the African Society of Cambridge University.

5. Navin Ramgoolam (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 43.59, Navin Ramgoolam is the 5th most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and doctor serving as prime minister of Mauritius for the third time following the 2024 general election, after the landslide victory of his coalition Alliance du Changement. He is a prominent figure in the political history of Mauritius, having served multiple terms as the Prime Minister of the country. He is also the leader of the Labour Party. Following former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth's resignation, Ramgoolam was sworn in as Prime Minister at the State House of Mauritius in the presence of President, Prithvirajsing Roopun. Ramgoolam was Prime Minister for the first time from December 1995 until September 2000 and then became Leader of the Opposition again from October 2000 to 4 July 2005. On 5 July 2005, he became Prime Minister for a second term after his coalition, Alliance Sociale, won the general elections. He was re-elected Prime Minister in 2005, serving until 2014.

6. Pravind Jugnauth (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 42.89, Pravind Jugnauth is the 6th most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Pravind Kumar Jugnauth (born 25 December 1961) is a Mauritian politician who was one of the Prime Ministers of Mauritius, succeeding his father, Aneerood Jugnauth, in 2017 where he led the cabinet until 2019. He became Prime Minister again in 2019 following the victory of his coalition, L'Alliance Morisien, and he held the post until 2024 where he and his party faced a humiliating defeat under the Alliance Lepep coalition. Jugnauth is the leader of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) party. He has held a number of ministerial portfolios and also been Leader of the Opposition.

7. Paul Bérenger (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 41.37, Paul Bérenger is the 7th most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Paul Raymond Bérenger (born 26 March 1945) is a Mauritian politician who was Prime Minister of Mauritius from 2003 to 2005. He has been Leader of the Opposition on several occasions – from 1983 to 1987, 1997 to 2000, 2005 to 2006, 2007 to 2013, October 2013 to 15 September 2014, and again from December 2014 to December 2016 when he was replaced by Xavier-Luc Duval. Following his party's defeat in the 2014 general elections, he became Leader of the Opposition for the sixth time, making him the longest ever to serve in this constitutional position. He was also deputy prime minister from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2000 to 2003, and he was a cabinet minister in the government of Anerood Jugnauth in 1982 and 1991. Bérenger, a Christian of Franco-Mauritian descent, has been the only non-Hindu prime minister of Mauritius, or, more particularly, the only prime minister who has not belonged to the Jugnauth or Ramgoolam families.

8. Veerasamy Ringadoo (1920 - 2000)

With an HPI of 40.66, Veerasamy Ringadoo is the 8th most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, (born Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu; 20 October 1920 – 9 September 2000) was a Mauritian politician, minister, the sixth and last governor-general of Mauritius from 1986 to 1992, and then the first president of Mauritius from March to June 1992.

9. Kailash Purryag (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 39.16, Kailash Purryag is the 9th most famous Mauritian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Rajkeswur Purryag, GCSK (born 12 December 1947, also known as Kailash Purryag) is a former Mauritian politician who served as the fifth president of Mauritius from 2012 to May 2015. He was elected president of Mauritius by the National Assembly and took office on 21 July 2012. He succeeded Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who spent nine years as president from 2003 until resigning in March 2012. Kailash Purryag previously served as Member of Parliament, Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly; he made his debut in the political arena at an early age in 1976.