Reply: The Report of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute 2026, which was published on 17 March 2026, provides a comprehensive assessment on democracy across countries worldwide, using indicators grouped into five indices, namely Electoral democracy, liberal democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy and egalitarian democracy. The information presented in the various V-Dem Reports over the past few years, including the factors and indicators used therein, has been carefully noted. In fact, the House may wish to note that for the past five years, the V-Dem, in its reports, classified Mauritius as follows – • In 2021, Mauritius was in the unenviable position of being ranked among the 10 autocratizing countries. This was due to a sharp decline in the indicator for quality of elections in 2019 due to allegations of electoral fraud, complaints of widespread dissemination of false information, anti-democratic measures such as suspension of Parliament in 2020 and dispersion of peaceful protests. • In 2022, Mauritius remained among the 10 autocratizing countries and the Report noted that there was increased media censorship in Mauritius. • In 2023, Mauritius was classified as a ‘Major Autocratizer’ and the Report noted, among others, that democracy in Mauritius was in steep decline and that, I quote, ‘democracy seems to hang by a thread.’ • In 2024, Mauritius was classified as a ‘Grey zone electoral autocracy’. The Report underlined that Mauritius had lost its status of liberal democracy in 2014 and transitioned from an electoral democracy to an electoral autocracy. Mauritius was cited among the worst government offenders when it came to increasing efforts to censor the media. Mauritius was also described as top ‘stand-alone’ autocratizer with the autocratization beginning from 2018. • In 2025, the Report noted that Mauritius could potentially be misclassified as a ‘Grey zone electoral autocracy’ after the 2024 General elections which could bring a turnaround after years of autocratization. After years of democratic decline, there has finally been a welcome and well-deserved shift in the classification of Mauritius. According to the 2026 Report, I quote, ‘the 2024 general elections brought a change in government and halted authoritarian transgressions.’ Mauritius now leads the U-turn list in terms of magnitude of improvement and has regained its standing as an electoral democracy, after a long period of autocratization, during which the previous Government censored the media, harassed journalists and was caught wiretapping. This reclassification reflects improvements in key democratic indicator measures by V- Dem, some people still think that there has been no change. There is no greater change – than being free again. ‘Freedom of expression’ and media-related rights are fundamental human rights which were most severely affected during the periods of autocratization which Mauritius faced under the previous Government. Since the election of this Government, which has led to the re-democratization of this country, these fundamental freedoms have now been restored. It is comforting to see that the efforts which have been made by this Government have been seen and acknowledged in the 2026 Report of V-Dem. As highlighted in the Government Programme 2025–2029, Government stands committed to restoring the trust of the nation in independent and impartial institutions, and in reinstating the independence of public institutions. The consolidation of our democracy is a continuous journey, and this Government remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing progress across diverse areas. We are going to invite international organisations to re-look at the loopholes in our system. HON. PAUL RAYMOND BÉRENGER – RESIGNATION – MEETING WITH PM