In mid-October, an anonymous social media account called “Missie Moustass” released 107 wiretapped recordings exposing alleged collusion and nepotism within the Mauritius governing party, the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM). The MSM party leader, Pravind Jugnauth, was seeking another term as prime minister since being appointed in 2017 after the resignation of his father, Anerood Jugnauth, and winning the elections in 2019. However, the Alliance Lepep, led by the MSM, lost to the opposition coalition Alliance du Changement, a mix of labor and environmental movements. The leaks by Missie Moustass and the reactions to it, highlight the growing influence of social media in shaping political engagement in Mauritius.

The Missie Moustass tapes implicated governmental officials, members of the judiciary, police officials, media professionals, and even Jugnauth and his wife, Kobita Jugnauth. Initially published on Facebook, the videos were quickly taken down but reposted on TikTok and YouTube.

One leak suggests that the Police Commissioner was involved in covering up the murder in 2023 of a Creole man, Jacquelin Juliette, due to police brutality. The last tapes prominently featured Kobita Jugnauth, often referred to as the one “running the political kitchen” (internal political decisions), revealing her alleged interference in political appointments based on ethnicity, religion, and political alliance.

In another leaked conversation, Kobita Jugnauth expressed contempt for Creole communities–those identifying with African ancestry—for singing the national anthem at events such as concerts. Sarcastically, she accused Creoles of “appropriating” the flag, claiming that “the national anthem is now only for Creoles… they [Creoles] have become more ‘Mauritian’ than Mauritians,” drawing a comparison to Indo-Mauritians. Her remark seemed to be that Creoles singing the national anthem in public spaces, somehow cheapened its solemnity. Such rhetoric also reflects the dynamics of Mauritius’ communalist political landscape, where the majority maintains power and defines legitimacy through ethnic tensions and hierarchies. In the Mauritian context, the combination of anti-Blackness and Hindu hegemony fuels communal divides, often reproduced through divisive and harmful narratives such as this one. Kobita’s criticism dismisses the legitimacy of Creoles as equal participants in the nation’s history and nation-building and strikes a nerve among many.

Social media became the main platform where Mauritians expressed anger and frustration about the MSM through memes and posts shaming, critiquing, and mocking the Jugnauths and the MSM. Some memes were purely satirical, while others touched on serious issues such as anti-Blackness, communalism, misogyny, and homophobia among Alliance Lepep and the wider Mauritian society.

One meme highlighted Mauritius’ potential complicity in the American global war machine should the controversial “Chagos Islands deal” proceed as planned. Since the 1960s, the Chagos Islands have been under British control and later leased to the US as a military base. In a desperate attempt to win votes just days before the election, Jugnauth announced a deal to regain sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago from the UK. The deal was negotiated without any involvement from the Chagossian community, whose displacement remains a longstanding injustice. Jugnauth’s move merely extended the US occupation of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.

As a way to discredit the leaked recordings, the government and pro-MSM social media influencers claimed the tapes were fabricated through artificial intelligence, which was quickly debunked on social media. And in a final effort to suppress opposing voices, on November 1, 2024, the government suspended access to social media platforms under the pretense of “national security.” Mauritians quickly turned to VPNs to bypass the ban, and criticism of the MSM only amplified. While the ban was intended to last until November 11, the day after the election, it attracted global attention and was ultimately reversed, lasting only 24 hours.

In support of the center-left opposition, Alliance du Changement, the slogan “Ale Navin” (“Go Navin,” referring to its leader, Navin Ramgoolam) set to a sega beat became a popular TikTok challenge. Interestingly, the use of Mauritian sega music—rooted in the resistance of enslaved peoples, but often devalued because of its proximity to Blackness—resonates with the masses and has played an important role in political expression since independence. It has now transcended traditional platforms and is reinvented through new digital mediums.

The social media storm unleashed by the Moustass leaks guaranteed Alliance du Changement’s victory in the elections. Winning 60 of the 62 seats in the national assembly with the two remaining for the Rodrigues constituency, this landslide is only the third in Mauritius’ democratic history. The coalition was led by two of the oldest Mauritian parties, the Mauritian Labour Party (PTr) and the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM). It included smaller parties—the New Democrats and eco-socialist party Rezistans ek Alternativ (ReA). This election was made even more memorable by the success of ReA, known for its grassroots environmental and labor struggles. ReA secured three seats and two of their members were appointed to ministerial positions.

The events in Mauritius are part of broader trends in electoral processes. Elections are continuously being transformed in the digital age, reshaping everything from voter engagement and political campaign strategies to the sharing of information.

Besides political fatigue among Mauritians, the Moustass leaks revived many existing concerns about the MSM just weeks before the election. The digital storm of posts and memes opposing the MSM that quickly followed reflected the change in public opinion. MSM’s heavy-handed move to impose the social media ban only fueled more backlash and emphasized how social media platforms have become the new political frontiers.

Ironically, social media’s influence on Mauritian elections became most apparent in 2014, when the viral Vire Mam video played a pivotal role in MSM’s victory. The colloquial phrase can be translated as “turn things around/someone out” or “pull a 180,” but it also was a specific call to remove the PTr from office. MSM and PMSD supporters created the satirical video, combining mash-ups of speeches by political leaders Navin Ramgoolam (PTr) and Paul Bérenger (MMM) ridiculing each other. The video framed the PTr-MMM new coalition as a national joke—two hypocritical and opportunist political rivals turned into best buddies.

This transactional approach to coalition-building was nothing new to Mauritian politics. It is common knowledge that “everybody has slept with each other in the Mauritian political bed.” This tactic has helped the dominant parties, the PTr, MSM, and MMM, stay in power since independence in a communalist political landscape defined by Hindu hegemony. What was new, however, were the digital tools and platforms used to critique political opponents, with a speed and reach unseen before.

The process of memeification—transforming real-world events or ideas into simplified, easily shareable, often humorous or satirical content—has become a ubiquitous feature of the online experience. The internet’s “inside jokes.” Even if they may seem harmless or neutral, memes can be instrumental (even weaponized); they can simplify complex issues and raise political awareness, as much as spread misinformation, distort facts, and reduce important issues to oversimplified soundbites. Capitalizing on humor can be a quick yet effective way to capture widespread attention in a digital culture where viewers have short attention spans.

The political impact of memes is global. From Bernie Sanders’ mittens memes portraying him as a more relatable persona to the #ReleasetheKraken and #StoptheSteal hashtags that mobilized Trump supporters during the 2021 US Capitol riot.

In Mauritius, Vire Mam opened a new chapter in politics. The video reached over 400,000 views within a few months and became an everyday catchphrase. The song was used as ringtones, played during parties, and inspired parodies. The slogan was reappropriated in political debates well beyond the 2014 election. For me, the Vire Mam social media debates marked my first experience as a voter.

MSM’s defeat was long overdue.

Tensions and controversies mounted under Pravind Jugnauth’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Mauritius’ accelerated democratic backsliding was defined by growing Hindutva influence (with Indo-Mauritian politicians openly admiring Narendra Modi’s ethnonationalist Hindu politics in India), state censorship and control of the media, repressive media laws, harassment of journalists, citizen surveillance, and the weaponization of the police. Allegations of fraud, corruption, and mismanagement—most notably during the 2020 Wakashio oil spill disaster, further eroded public trust. By 2023, Mauritius, once hailed as a beacon of democracy in Africa, had lost its status as a liberal democracy and re-classified as an electoral autocracy.

Even with this much-needed change in government, many are not blindly supporting the return of Ramgoolam as Prime Minister, and rightfully so. During and after the election, meme creators have raised controversies about Ramgoolam’s past involvement in money laundering, corruption, and misogyny, as well as nepotism in the new coalition. Furthermore, Missie Moustass’ identity remains both unknown and controversial. The leaked recordings predominantly targeted the MSM, thus favoring the opposing parties. The illegal tapping also raises significant concerns about surveillance practices in Mauritius.

Despite these controversies, the biggest takeaway from this election was that it marked a renewed sense of accountability and collective awareness within Mauritian society. The mustache symbol has been widely embraced, with “Missie Moustass” groups emerging on social media as ordinary citizens take on the role of vigilantes and pledge to hold the new government accountable. Many remain wary of the sustained influence of political dynasties and the limits of meaningful political change.

Social media has enabled citizens, particularly the youth, to engage politically in new ways. Independent young social media creators are leveraging humor and digital mediums to deepen political education on critical social issues. This moment of renewed collective mobilization—however brief—serves as a powerful reminder of the people’s agency and could inspire greater political imagination not just in Mauritius, but elsewhere on the continent.