On April 21, 2025, the Official Receiver (OR) initiated the election process by forming a Nomination Committee (NomCOM) and an Election Committee. Subsequently, directives on how to constitute the voters’ register were communicated (Communiqué N02).
However, Communiqué N02 did not specify how the required documents would be validated, and the OR failed to respond to several concerns raised by members. Additionally, it did not mandate the publication of the voter register, (ignoring the need for transparency in the election process). This lack of response underscored members’ critical concerns.
ICANN filed a case before the Supreme Court of Mauritius regarding the impartiality of the NomCOM, but the case was dismissed. Rather than alleviating concerns, the court’s decision reinforced doubts about the integrity and trustworthiness of the election process.
On Monday, June 23, 2025, election day, some voters brought multiple authorizations issued via Power of Attorney on behalf of resource members. At least two of these authorizations were proven to be fraudulent, as the respective companies denied their authenticity. Despite clear evidence confirming doubts regarding the proxies and the legitimacy of the in-person representatives’ votes, expressed by lawyers from various constituencies at the start of voting, the NomCOM and the OR attempted to downplay the incident and insisted on continuing the voting. Eventually, they were compelled to suspend the voting.
These events have only confirmed the doubts and suspicions regarding the impartiality of the OR, the NomCOM, and the overall election process.
The leadership of AF* has actively monitored these recent developments and expresses deep concern over the failure of the election process. This was the first election held at AFRINIC that has been marred by fraud, which has been widely condemned and has irreparably damaged the credibility of the entire Official Receivership process. As a result, accepting any election results has become challenging for the community.
We urge that these issues be addressed openly and satisfactorily for all members, fostering consensus within the AFRINIC community to overcome any challenges we face.