Democracy and Political Governance Chapter 3 registration of political parties and candidates for elections. Political parties in Mauritius depend largely on donations, especially for their election campaigns. Each party has its own methods for managing and distributing campaign funds. There is no law to control political party financing. The level of campaign spending by candidates is regulated and a ceiling imposed on how much candidates may spend in an electoral campaign. However, there is currently no independent verification of compliance with these limits. 124. The Commission on Constitutional and Electoral Reform, established in late 2001, addressed political party funding. Justice Albie Sachs, of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, chaired the commission. It published its report (known as the Sachs Report) in 2002. The Commission highlighted the need to review the funding of political parties and for a mechanism to monitor the expenditure of candidates, which suitable legislation should cover. Consistent with its terms of reference, the commission also developed and proposed the draft Public Funding of Political Parties Bill. Its key features include establishing structures and mechanisms for the registration and financial accountability of political parties, a Political Activities Public Financing Fund, and mechanisms aimed at restricting campaign expenses. Women in politics 125. The CSAR highlights the rather limited participation of women in politics – a serious challenge for Mauritius. The report states that the 2005 election showed only a slight improvement in the participation of women candidates. It notes that, while political parties deployed more women candidates than in previous general elections, only 59 (8.8 per cent) of the 664 candidates were women. Mauritius is still far from achieving the 50 per cent female gender representation required by the 1997 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development. Decentralisation and popular participation 126. 90 The CSAR notes that there are municipal, district and village councils. The Local Government Act of 2003 refers to them as local authorities. There were five municipalities and four district councils. All local authorities fall under the Ministry of Local Government, Rodrigues and Outer Islands. Unfortunately, despite the decentralisation that the Local Government Act of 2003 brought, local authorities remain Chapter 3 Democracy and Political Governance largely dependent on the grants that the central government provides. The central government grants are essential for the local authorities to finance the services and amenities in their respective regions. They include: (i) providing street lighting; (ii) constructing and maintaining roads; (iii) maintaining drains and public spaces; (iv) providing and maintaining bus shelters and traffic centres; and (v) organising sports and cultural activities. 127. With regard to political participation at the local level, all council members are elected by general poll and are regulated by the Local Government Act of 2003. The functions of the local authorities, as defined by section 41 of the Local Government Act of 2003, are wideranging. They include maintaining local infrastructure and attending to the welfare of villages and towns. Major responsibilities range from cleaning and lighting roads to removing household, industrial, commercial and agricultural waste. Supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law and the Bill of Rights 128. The CSAR notes that the constitution of Mauritius is the supreme law of the country. Objective 4 says more about this. The country has ratified human rights conventions on civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Objective 3 discusses them at length. National security, law and order 129. The CSAR points out that an efficient and independent national security service is crucial for any country. In Mauritius, the security service is entrusted to the Mauritius Police Force (MPF). The MPF must uphold the law fairly, prevent crime and protect the community with integrity and sound judgement. A commissioner of police (CP) heads the MPF in terms of section 71 of the constitution. The Disciplined Forces Service Commission (DFSC), after consulting the prime minister, appoints the CP. 130. The Police Act of 1974 regulates the MPF. It should be read together with sections 71, 90 and 91 of the constitution, the MPF Instruction Book and the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. 131. The MPF has four main ‘lines of services’. These are the Land Police Force, Air Wing Surveillance (delivered by the Helicopter Squadron), a paramilitary wing provided by the Special Mobile Force and a naval wing provided by the National Coast Guard. There are six other lines 91