Mauritius Prime Minister concedes election defeat

The Mauritius opposition appeared to be headed for victory in legislative elections after Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Monday conceded defeat.

Final results have yet to be officially released, but opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam looked set to take over the post of prime minister for the third time at the head of his Alliance of Change coalition.

Jugnauth said his Lepep alliance, led by his Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), was "heading towards a big defeat" in Sunday's poll in the prosperous Indian Ocean island nation.

"The people have chosen another team to lead the country," Jugnauth, who has been prime minister since 2017, told reporters.

"We must respect this choice... and we wish the country and the population good luck."

Only last month, Jugnauth was celebrating a historic deal with Britain to regain sovereignty over the Chagos Islands following a long-running dispute.

But the campaign was overshadowed by an explosive wire-tapping scandal, when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats and journalists were leaked online.

During a lively and sometimes heated campaign, both camps promised voters they would take measures to improve the lot of ordinary Mauritians who face cost-of-living difficulties despite strong economic growth.