When Mauritius became a Republic in 1992 much of the old colonial institutional divisions were retained. Mauritius itself is divided into a total of 9 districts. The island of Rodrigues positioned some 500 kilometers east of Mauritius used the be the countries tenth district before it gained autonomous status under the 1968 Constitution. Rodrigues has its own regional assembly, its functions roughly corresponding with the district assemblies on Mauritius. Below the districts the country is divided into a total of 12 urban municipalities including the capital of Port Louis with a special city status and 124 rural villages. Municipalities and villages are headed by councils elected for a five year term most recently in 2006. Next elections are due in 2011.
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The Mauritius constitution speaks little about local government with the exception of the autonomous status of Rodrigues. The local government act of 1989 which was amended in 2003 and 2005 however improved the legal position of localities determining periods for election as well as specific duties ascribed to local authorities. These range from responsibility over infrastructure, regulating local markets , education to sports and education. These duties are monitored and managed on the national government level by the Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands. This ministry, and localities as such, also take a very important role in environmental policy, overseeing the use of beaches (beach authority act 2003) and waste management (Dumping and Waste Carriers regulation in the 2003 amendment on the local government act).
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Especially in the above-mentioned areas, local government has received a strong position within government. Issues surrounding the environment interlink with Mauritius’s function as a popular holiday destination and important ecological area. As localities are being made responsible for their own financial sustainability and development their governmental accountability is increased thus strengthening local government in the process. Localities also develop through assistance by programs of international donors in cooperation with national government. These focus on rural and urban development of infrastructure, improving the position of women in society and partnerships with private companies and investors. Through these projects Mauritius plans to sustain achieved results while further developing the country making use of the benefits of local government.
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