Mauritius suspends access to social media ahead of parliamentary elections WSOC TV [Video]

JOHANNESBURG — (AP) — The government of Mauritius on Friday banned access to social media websites ahead of parliamentary elections on Nov. 10 in which Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is seeking a second term in power.

The directive was announced by the national communications regulator, which said social media sites will be banned until Nov. 11, the day after the election.

The unprecedented social media ban follows a wiretapping scandal which rocked the country last month when recorded conversations of politicians, business people, and members of civil society were leaked on social media.

According to media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were also published on social media.

The government of the Indian Ocean island country, which has a population of 1.2 million, has claimed that these leaks are a threat to national security and instructed the communications authority to suspend all access …