In a move that has been criticized by the opposition, Anerood Jugnauth, the Mauritian Prime Minister has said he is stepping down to hand over power to his son, Pravind.
The 86-year-old first became prime minister in 1982, beginning a third spell as leader in 2014.
Mr Jugnauth in a televised address said he was resigning in favour of a “younger and more dynamic leader”.
Pravind is currently finance minister and also the head of the Militant Socialist Movement, the largest party in the governing coalition making it in practice almost impossible for the opposition to stop the move.
A former prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, warned that the family was turning Mauritius into a “banana republic”.
In his speech, Mr Jugnauth cited the “Westminster tradition”, referring to the transfer of power from David Cameron to Theresa May in the UK without elections, local media reported.
He is due to hand in his resignation on Monday morning.
