Mauritius’ new president said the country’s economic situation was “worse than we thought” based on a recent review of the countrys public finances.
Navin Ramgoolam announced the review just days after his party won the November election, accusing the previous government of using the information to influence the country’s affairs.
Finance Minister Renganaden Padayachy has not responded to requests for comment on Ramgoolam’s allegations since the investigation began. Padayach did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment on Monday.
We are in the process of reviewing the business. “What we found was surprising. It’s worse than we thought. Mauritians will soon know the state of the economy,” Ramgoolam told Mauritian television and radio on Saturday.
Ramgoolam, the new finance minister, did not provide any recordings of his speech over the weekend.
The country, with a population of about 1.3 million, is considered one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Mauritius’ location bridges Africa and Asia, and most of its income comes from financial markets, trade and the textile industry.
The economy grew by 7% last year, but the main issue in the election was the rising cost of living, which affected voters’ views of the previous government led by Pravind Jugnauth.
