- AFRINIC must recognise the June 2025 election under the Mauritius Companies Act to restore legal credibility.
- Government-backed interference sets a dangerous precedent that threatens African internet governance and member sovereignty.
Rule of law must override political instruction
AFRINIC’s credibility crisis stems from a core legal failure. The Mauritius government instructed a court-appointed receiver to annul the June 2025 board election, even though the poll was supervised by the courts and conducted under the Companies Act. No public judicial finding of fraud justified this move, making the annulment incompatible with Mauritian law. A September rerun was then held without clear legal authority, creating an outcome that cannot be recognised as legitimate. Accepting that result would normalise state capture of a membership-based nonprofit. This is not independence; it is political control dressed up as governance reform. AFRINIC is bound to follow the Companies Act, not government directives, and the June election—free and fair under court oversight—remains the only valid mandate. Recognising those results is the first step to rebuilding trust.
Also read: AFRINIC’s September elections were a flagrant violation of its own bylaws
Also read: AFRINIC elections and the consequences of weak legal remedies in Mauritius
African sovereignty and the need for transparent oversight
External signals of support for the September rerun, including new ICP-2 related compliance documents introduced by ICANN CEO Kurt Lindqvist, risk validating an unconstitutional process while claiming to defend democracy. The United States calls for transparency but backs a rerun imposed by government order, revealing a selective concern for rule of law. This hypocrisy threatens Africa’s bottom-up internet governance by allowing a single state to override member control. True reform requires halting government-directed interventions, restoring member authority, and ensuring that any future compliance measures respect African sovereignty. Stakeholders across the region must insist that AFRINIC’s recovery start with legal clarity, recognition of the June mandate, and protection against further political manipulation.
