Mauritius opposition landslide win

The ruling Labour Party: Heading out of office

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has admitted defeat in general elections.in the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius

He told reporters he would resign by the end of the week.

If all elections could be like this, Africa would be a very different place

Election observer

Mr Ramgoolam said that although he was confident of retaining his own seat, it was now clear the opposition had won.

Results from the Mauritius Electoral Commission show the opposition alliance has captured most of the 70 parliamentary seats being contested.

The opposition alliance is led by former prime minister Anerood Jugnath - and Paul Berenger of the Militant Movement - a former ally of Mr Ramgoolam.

Mauritians voted in large numbers in the sunshine on Monday after a peaceful campaign.

Politically stable and popular with tourists, Mauritius has known only three prime ministers since independence in 1968.

The opposition alliance features "kingmaker" Paul Berenger

More than 550 candidates from a total of 43 parties competed for the parliament's 70 seats.

The vote is being held four months early, after Mr Ramgoolan dissolved parliament last month.

He said the decision was not linked to recent corruption scandals in Mauritius.

This is the third time since 1991 that Mr Ramgoolan and his rival Mr Jugnauth have faced each other at the polls.

Mauritius has a population of 1.3 million with just under 780,000 eligible to vote. Just over half are Hindu, with the next largest groups being Creole and Muslim.

For the first time, observers from the Southern African Development Community were present during the election. One observer told Reuters news agency: "If all elections could be like this, Africa would be a very different place."