- An AFRINIC election committee member allegedly breached legal and confidentiality obligations by removing a Power of Attorney (POA) from the ballot room and contacting a resource holder, which led to the suspension of the election.
- The suspension and annulment of the election by senior AFRINIC figures Simon Davenport KC and Gowtamsingh Dabee are described by sources as illegal actions that violate democratic principles and further destabilize the already troubled organization.
A member of the AFRINIC election committee broke confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations when she took a Power Of Attorney (POA) document out of the ballot room, and called the resource holder. This is the allegation made by sources close to the events, taking place in Mauritius over the past week.
In addition, the suspension of the election by the head of the Nominating Committee, Simon Davenport KC, and the annulling of the election by the Official Receiver, Gowtamsingh Dabee, are both also actions that violate the electoral process and undermine democratic principles, according to the complainant.
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AFRINIC election committee member breached confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations
The complaint starts with an action taken by one of the election committee members, who left the room with a POA and then called the resource holder who had given the POA. These actions were a breach of the confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations required of the election committee members, and resulted in the entire election being suspended.
Clause 4.6 of the AFRINIC election guidelines states: “The members of the ElecCom shall be required to enter into a nondisclosure agreement with AFRINIC prior to exercising their duties.”
In a letter from Number Resource Limited (NRL), the organisation that arranged the POAs to help members vote in the elections, to Davenport, details emerge showing that due to either confusion or forgetfulness, the member that had agreed to the POA then denied having signed the POA over to NRL when asked by the election committee member. This disputed vote resulted in the election suspension, with 80% of NRL’s proxy votes remaining uncast.
Also read: AFRINIC election suspended, hundreds unable to vote
Senior staff violate the law
Additionally, the suspension and later annulling of the election by two of the most senior members of staff involved in the electoral process, was a “blatant violation of the law in public,” according to the source.
The AFRINIC elections that took place on June 23 were meant to bring to an end several years of uncertainty and mismanagement at the beleaguered Regional Internet Registry for Africa, having had it board disbanded in 2022.
The election proceeded as expected, but these actions by AFRINIC staff members and senior electoral officials have set the RIR back yet again.
