Afrinic election proceeds after ICANN's attempt to replace officials fails

Elections at troubled regional internet registry the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) will continue, after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN’s) attempt to appoint new officials to oversee the poll failed.

AFRINIC oversees allocation and management of IP addresses for 54 nations across Africa and the Indian Ocean. The registry (RIR) has a long history of controversy and tumult involving sexual harassment, corruption, and a complex set of interlocking disputes that have seen it unable to appoint a CEO or elect board members since 2022.

A receiver appointed to help AFRINIC get back on its feet ordered elections scheduled for June 16th.

Before voting started, ICANN learned that members of the Nomination Committee appointed to oversee AFRINIC’s elections may have a conflict of interest and called for new appointments to ensure fairness at the election. The global regulator also asked AFRINIC’s receiver to clarify why a company called Cloud Innovation – which is one of the entities that sued AFRINIC – was listed as a shareholder in the African regulator.

ICANN also asked the Supreme Court of Mauritius, AFRINIC’s home jurisdiction, to consider its requests.

While AFRINIC’s receiver and Mauritian authorities considered ICANN’s requests, another court challenge brought by the Tanzanian Internet Service Providers Association saw the start of voting pushed back from June 16th to the 18th.

On the 19th, the Mauritian Supreme Court considered ICANN’s requests and ordered publication of a Communiqué that declares listing Cloud Innovation as a shareholder in AFRINIC was “erroneous” – but was a mistake made by Mauritian authorities rather than a result of actions by AFRINIC or its receiver.

The Court also decided not to revisit the composition of the Nomination Committee.

Interestingly, the Court noted that ICANN had no standing to bring the action, but that AFRINIC and its receiver would nonetheless publish the suggested Communiqué [PDF] so that the registry’s members were aware of the situation.

Electronic voting in the AFRINIC election therefore continues, ahead of a day of in-person voting on June 23rd.

ICANN used its social media accounts to express mixed feelings about the Court ruling.

“While the Court's ruling addresses key aspects of membership clarity, ICANN remains concerned about the overall integrity of the election process,” the posts state.

AFRINIC observers with whom The Register has discussed the election believe it is highly likely ongoing litigation is a likely outcome of the vote, again leaving the registry struggling to perform all its functions. In anticipation of such a fate befalling any RIR, internet governance bodies have recently started work on a policy that would allow deregistration of a dysfunctional registry. ®