General elections were held in Mauritius on 11 June 1982. The election resulted in a landslide victory for the Mauritian Militant Movement–Mauritian Socialist Party alliance, which won all 60 of the directly elected mainland seats. Anerood Jugnauth became prime minister for the first time, replacing Seewoosagur Ramgoolam who had governed the country since its independence.

Ramgoolam had formed a coalition government in the aftermath of the previous election, composing of the Labour Party and the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate, led by Gaëtan Duval. After several scandals that the government faced during its term, including economic mismanagement and postponement of elections, the government was defeated in a landslide, winning only a total of four best loser seats in the Legislative Assembly and none of its candidates were elected in any constituency.

The voting system involved twenty constituencies on Mauritius, which each elected three members. Two seats were elected by residents of Rodrigues, and up to eight seats were filled by the best losers system, although following this election, only four best loser seats were awarded. Voter turnout was 88.84%.

This election would be the first of three elections in which a party or an alliance received a 60-0 result, winning all of the elected mainland constituencies in Mauritius.

Ramgoolam received funding from the CIA during the election.

In the aftermath of the previous election, the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) became the largest party in the Legislative Assembly, garnering a total of 34 seats, just two seats shy of the majority. The Labour Party (PTr), under the alliance of the Independence Party (IP) along with the Muslim Committee of Action (CAM), led by Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, came in second with 28 seats and lost its majority in the assembly. In order to prevent fears of the country being ruled under an MMM government, Ramgoolam formed a coalition government with the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD), led by Gaëtan Duval, bringing the coalition total to 36 seats, enough to form a one-seat majority government.

However, the coalition government faced several scandals during its term, which included economic mismanagement that resulted in the first devaluation of the rupee and the removal of subsidies on essential items which was imposed by the International Monetary Fund. In addition, relations with the opposition and the government were shaky and led to heated exchanges. With the thin-wafer majority that the government had in the assembly, it could not afford to loose on any votes. Intra-party relations, especially within the Labour Party, became fractious, with Harish Boodhoo and other Labour MPs constantly voting against the government.

Anerood Jugnauth, MMM leader and Leader of the Opposition, tabled a vote of no confidence against the government on 4 December 1979 due to the performance of the government and the scandals it was facing. The government narrowly won the vote, with Boodhoo's group saving the government's lifespan. One MMM MP defected to support the government for the vote.