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| Mauritius prime minister Jugnauth steps down as part of handover deal
PORT LOUIS, Sept 30 (AFP) - Anerood Jugnauth, the long-time prime minister of the prosperous and multicultural Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, stepped down Tuesday in line with a pact to hand over to Paul Berenger, the first non-Indian to hold the office. President Karl Offman, whose position is largely ceremonial, accepted Jugnauth's resignation. BizVantage – A Net clipping service that learns what you need: for business, investment or technology. Berenger is due to be sworn in at around 4:00 pm (1200 GMT). The handover is in line with an electoral pact signed in September 2000 by Jugnauth's and Berenger's political parties. The parties of the two men, whose political destinies have been intertwined for more than 30 years, formed a coalition to contest general elections in 2000, and won a crushing victory, garnering between them 57 of the 60 seats in parliament. Under the pact, the two parties agreed that Jugnauth would serve as prime minister for three years before handing over to Berenger, who would hold the premiership for two years leading up to elections in 2005. Jugnauth is due to take over the presidency on October 7. jmp/afm/kdz Mauritius-politics-handover
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