Prithvirajsing Roopun


Prithvirajsing Roopun GCSK is a Mauritian politician who is serving as President of Mauritius as of 2 December 2019.

Early life, education, career and family life

Pradeep Roopun was born in Quatre Bornes and grew up in Morcellement St. Jean, a suburb of Quatre Bornes. After completing high school he trained and worked as a mathematics secondary school teacher at New Eton College and Eden College. Then he went to England to study law at Central Lancashire University. He returned to Mauritius and worked as a notary from 1986 onwards. Between 1990 and 1996 he was also part time lecturer at University of Mauritius. He also sat on the Board of Examiners of the Council of Legal Education.
He is married to Sayukta Roopun. Their daughters are Divya, Adishta and Jyotsna.

Political career

In 1995 he was Mouvement Socialiste Mauricien candidate in Constituency No. 15 La Caverne/Phoenix but was unsuccessful. In 2000 he was elected for the first time to Parliament in Constituency No. 14 and became the Chief Whip of the government, and then held office of Minister of Local Government. At the 2005 General Elections he was not elected after being defeated at Constituency No. 6. After being elected for the second time in May 2010 at Constituency No. 9 he served as Deputy Speaker. At the December 2014 elections he was elected in Constituency No.9 following which he held office of Minister of Social Integration & Economic Empowerment. Then from December 2016 and until the end of term in October 2019 he was Minister of Arts and Culture.

Nomination as President of Mauritius

Although he was not a candidate at the 2019 General Elections, soon after he was nominated as the 7th President of Mauritius by the National Assembly on 2 December 2019 and was sworn in on the same day.

Controversies

On 11 February 2020 one of the motorcycle policemen, who generally accompany the president's limousine and ensure its clear passage through congested traffic, was seriously hurt when he came off his motorcycle at high speed and in wet weather at Trianon. This prompted a debate about the unnecessary risks that police have to bear in order for politicians to travel on Mauritian roads.
At the end of February 2020 the Indian press reported that President Roopun and his family were stopped for carrying excess baggage in Varanasi, India when he was on a private trip. He had to pay extra charges before proceeding with his visit.