Mauritius votes on Sunday in a tight election race that has been clouded by a wiretapping scandal in a nation usually touted as one of Africa’s most stable and prosperous democracies.
The legislative poll in the Indian Ocean archipelago follows a historic agreement last month that saw Britain cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius following a long-running dispute.
But Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s hopes of an easy re-election in the wake of the deal were dealt a blow when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats, and journalists began to be leaked online last month.
The former CEO of Mauritius Telecom has been arrested along with three other suspects in the investigation into the leaks, which were released by an account called Missie Moustass (Mr Moustache), primarily on TikTok.
In response to the scandal, authorities on November 1 announced a social media ban until after the election.
But an uproar from the opposition and local media forced an embarrassing about-turn within 24 hours.
