Mauritius Bans Social Media Ahead of General Election
On Friday, Mauritius’ communications regulator made the decision to suspend access to social media platforms for all internet service providers until November 11, just a day after the upcoming general election. This move has sparked controversy and accusations from the opposition, who claim that it is a tactic by the ruling party to avoid defeat at the polls.
The decision to ban social media comes in the wake of a wiretapping scandal that has rocked the island nation. Over 20 conversations involving politicians, police, lawyers, journalists, and members of civil society have been leaked on social media platforms since mid-October, as reported by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority cited “illegal postings” as the reason for imposing the temporary ban on social media platforms. The Prime Minister’s office also justified the move by stating that it was necessary to preserve national security and integrity following the publication of “certain” audio clips.
However, the opposition sees the ban as a political ploy by Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth to retain power and maintain the parliamentary majority enjoyed by his Militant Socialist Movement party. Navin Ramgoolam, leader of the Alliance for Change party and Jugnauth’s main challenger, accused the government of using all means to stay in power.
Telecom operator EMTEL confirmed that it was implementing the directive to suspend access to social media platforms, warning that the user experience would be disrupted. Civil society groups, the Internet Governance Forum and the Internet Society, expressed concerns that restricting access to digital platforms could stifle democratic processes, harm the economy, disrupt businesses, and restrict access to essential information and services.
Jugnauth and the police have alleged that the leaked calls were manipulated using artificial intelligence. Jugnauth, who first became prime minister in 2017, had his 2019 election win upheld by a British court sitting as the final court of appeal for Mauritius last year, despite allegations of bribery and undue influence.
Political analyst Jocelyn Chan Low believes that the wiretapping scandal will have an impact on the outcome of the upcoming election, as it has brought to light various alleged scandals that remain unresolved and have been the focus of the leaked conversations.
