PORT LOUIS – Mauritius’ communications regulator ordered all internet service providers to suspend access to social media platforms on Friday until November 11, a day after the upcoming general election, in a move the opposition said- or that it is a ruse to avoid defeat at the polls.

The island nation has been hit by a wiretapping scandal in which around 20 conversations involving politicians, police, lawyers, journalists and members of civil society have been leaked on social media since mid-October, according to the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

The Information and Communications Technology Authority said it was imposing a temporary ban on social media platforms in response to “illegal posts”.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the restriction was necessary to preserve national security and the integrity of the country, following the publication of “certain” audio clips.

“A crisis committee is currently meeting to contain the existing risks as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth’s office said in a statement.

But the opposition said the ban was a political maneuver to avoid defeat in the Nov. 10 election, with Jugnauth aiming to extend his rule and retain the parliamentary majority enjoyed by his Militant Socialist Movement party.

“The outgoing government knows quite well that it is heading for defeat. As such, it is using all means to stay in power,” said Navin Ramgoolam, leader of the Alliance for Change party and Jugnauth’s main challenger.

EMTEL, one of three telecom operators in the Indian Ocean nation, said it was implementing the directive and warned that “the user experience will be progressively disrupted”.

Two civil society groups, the Internet Governance Forum and the Internet Society, warned in a joint statement that “restricting access to digital platforms would not only stifle democratic processes, but also harm the economy, disrupt business and restrict access to information and essential services. “

Jugnauth and the police had previously claimed that the leaked calls were manipulated using artificial intelligence.

Jugnauth became prime minister for the first time in 2017 when his father resigned from the post.

Last year, a British court that was the last court of appeal for Mauritius upheld Jugnauth’s win in the 2019 election, rejecting an appeal by an opposition candidate who claimed it was obtained through bribery and undue influence.

Mauritius political analyst Jocelyn Chan Low told Reuters that the wiretapping scandal would influence the outcome of the poll.

“There is a popular outcry about many alleged scandals that are still unresolved that were at the center of these leaks,” he said. Reuters