subjects related to minorities and gender issues because these topics do not sell magazines. Sensation driven news, sameness in news products are seen as more easily marketed. As the Mauritian media industry becomes more and more commercialized and commoditized, they tend to promote a corporate, pro-business agenda. Small minority parties with alternative/radical economic views are crowded out and seen as parties that would never obtain political power. How can the media push for a progressive agenda? How can the media reflect the diversity of opinions? This is why new communicative spaces have to be created for deliberation and for encouraging diversity. In Mauriius, besides public and corporate media, importantly there is also the need to encourage independent media - community radio in particular – as new platforms so that contesting minority voices are not silenced. New social Media: As a way to consolidate democracy and as new forms of political/electoral campaigning, there is also the need to encourage minority political parties to harness the full potential of digital media and social networks (Internet, blogging, Facebook, etc). When discussing the ways to encourage political participation, the role of new social media (chat rooms, forums, discussion boards) should be further examined. (4) Equitable access of Minority Political Parties to public media: At the time of elections, one of the major challenges for minority parties is their inability to access national media. Electoral reforms should address the issue of the funding of political parties as a way of providing a level playing field in-between parties. It seems that there is a consensus for mechanisms of state funding of political parties in Mauritius. Access to public media by minority parties can come in the form of state subsidy. It is also an election regulatory imperative (whether it is the Electoral Commission or the Broadcast Authority) that policies of airtime are democratized and that minority parties are guaranteed equitable access to the media so that they can get across their message to the electorate. Reference: Yoon, M and Bunwaree, S (2008) The Mauritian Election of 2005: An Unprecedented Increase of Women in Parliament. In : Journal of International Women’s Studies, Vol 9, May 2008. Kasenally, R (2009) Moving away from a Political Clientelist Model to a Responsible Party Model – Doing Politics Differently. L’express