- The 2025 election annulment shows AFRINIC’s democracy is “unworkable”.
- Cloud Innovation leads calls for registry’s dissolution and new RIR appointment.
Election collapse shows governance is broken
AFRINIC’s 2025 board election was annulled over a single unverified proxy dispute — an action that discarded valid votes and left the registry unable to seat a new board. The decision, publicly confirmed in AFRINIC’s official announcement, raised questions about whether the registry can conduct democratic elections under its own bylaws.
Internet governance experts have argued that this annulment demonstrates “unworkable election standards” and highlights a governance system in collapse. As a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) recognised under the Number Resource Organisation (NRO) framework, AFRINIC is expected to provide transparent, bottom-up policy development. Its inability to maintain functioning elections is seen as an existential risk for African internet resource management.
Also read: AFRINIC election: Voter fraud uncovered as ECom member threatens to resign
Member oversight as the last safeguard
With formal governance structures paralysed, AFRINIC’s members have become the final check on its actions. Companies such as Cloud Innovation, its third-largest member and a major holder of IPv4 addresses in Africa, have taken the lead in demanding accountability.
Cloud Innovation has filed a formal call to dissolve AFRINIC, arguing that its collapse jeopardises Africa’s IP address continuity and future connectivity growth. In its statement, the company urged ICANN, the global coordinator of IP address allocation, and the NRO Executive Council to immediately appoint a new regional internet registry to protect the stability of the global internet routing system.
Also read: How can African governments restore trust in AFRINIC?
A constitutional crisis for Mauritius
This crisis has spilled beyond the internet governance sphere. Legal analysts note that the Mauritian government’s attempts to side with AFRINIC in ongoing court disputes risk undermining judicial independence. If court decisions can be overridden, members warn, Mauritius could face a wider constitutional challenge.
Observers argue that continuing under AFRINIC’s current framework undermines both Africa’s bottom-up internet governance model and the credibility of Mauritius as a host for a neutral registry. For many members, stronger oversight — or AFRINIC’s dissolution — is now seen as the only path to restoring trust, stabilising African internet operations, and aligning with global best practice for registry governance.
