PRITHVIRAJSING ROOPUN

Prithvirajsing Roopun, born into an Indian Hindu family, grew up in the suburb of Morcellement St. Jean, Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. He attended New Eton College in Rose Hill for his secondary education and went on to become an attorney at law in 1986. Roopun holds a Master’s degree in International Business Law (LLM) from the University of Central Lancashire. For over 15 years, he was a member of the board of examiners for the Council of Legal Education and also lectured at the University of Mauritius' Faculty of Law.

Roopun's political career began in 1983, and he first contested elections in 1995. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2000, representing constituency No. 14, Savanne and Black River. He served as deputy chief government whip until 2004, and in 2005, he was appointed Minister of Local Government and Solid Waste Management. Roopun went on to represent constituency No. 9, Flacq and Bon Accueil, in the 2010 general elections. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as the deputy speaker of the National Assembly and later represented Mauritius at the Pan African Parliament, where he was deputy chair of the Committee of Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science, and Technology from 2010 to 2014.

In December 2014, Roopun was appointed Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment. His major responsibilities included addressing extreme poverty and empowering vulnerable groups. Under his leadership, the government introduced a subsistence allowance scheme for families living in extreme poverty, alongside a Marshall Plan Against Poverty developed with the support of the UNDP. Roopun served as Minister of Arts and Culture from January 2017 to November 2019, during which he chaired the UNESCO 13th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In December 2019, Roopun was nominated by the National Assembly as the seventh President of Mauritius, succeeding the outgoing acting president. He was sworn in on the same day and was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, in recognition of his service.

Roopun’s presidency has not been without controversy. In February 2020, a motorcycle police officer was injured while clearing traffic for the presidential motorcade, prompting debates about the risks involved in such operations. Later that month, he was reported to have been involved in an incident in Varanasi, India, where his family was asked to pay extra charges for excess baggage during a private trip, though the charges were waived following intervention from influential figures. Additionally, his brother, Dharmaveersing Roopun, has faced legal issues related to land fraud, with several victims claiming to have been misled in fraudulent land transactions linked to him. Despite court rulings in favor of the victims, no further legal action has been taken against the accused.

Roopun is married to Sayukta Roopun, and they have four daughters: Divya, Jyotsna, Adishta, and Vedisha.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prithvirajsing_Roopun