The ruling Labour Party won a parliamentary election in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius when the opposition leader accepted defeat today, according to Reuters. Government supporters took to the streets waving flags and honking car horns after opposition leader Paul Berenger conceded to an alliance led by the Labour Party headed by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam. The Labour Party has been in power since 2005. Some analysts said Labour's alliance with the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) would see a strengthening of the welfare state. Reforms to diversify the economy away from the sugar, textiles and tourism sectors are expected to continue. The man widely credited with the reforms, former Finance Minister Ramakrishna Sithanen will not return to the cabinet. Sithanen, who unveiled a $340 million stiumulus package in December 2008, was denied a ticket to contest the elections. There has been specualation that the MSM's support came on the understanding its leader, Pravind Jugnauth, would become finance minister if they won. "This government is a government of continuity. With the MSM on board, there will be a human dimension to the economic strategy and an acceleration of the process to democratise the economy," economic professor Chandan Jankee told Reuters.
