Are Congo and Uganda Election-related Internet Shutdowns a Sign of Things to Come?
In short:
- Pulse has so far tracked three election-related Internet shutdown events in 2026, the same number for all of 2025.
- 2024 accounted for the most number of election-related Internet shutdowns.
- There is a risk of more election-related Internet shutdowns and service blocking events with upcoming elections being held in countries who’s governments have previously ordered them.
Last week, Internet users in the Republic of Congo experienced a two-day Internet shutdown that began in the morning of 15 March 2026, the day the country went to the polls in a vote to extend the rule of President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
This was the third election-related Internet shutdown for 2026—following two shutdown events either side of the January election in Uganda—and does not include the ongoing Internet shutdown and Internet service blocking events that began before the Myanmar and Iranian elections.
By comparison, Pulse only tracked three election-related shutdowns in 2025, with exams again the main reason governments cited for ordering the national suspension of the Internet.
While there is some way to go to reach the record seven election-related shutdowns that Pulse tracked in 2024—an exceptional year for the total number of global elections—it does not bode well for the rest of the year, especially with elections planned in countries that have previously ordered for the Internet to be shut down or for Internet services to be blocked, including Algeria, Benin, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia.
Use the search bar to find your country, and click on the column headers to sort the columns.
The rays of light in this less-than-ideal start to the year are the recent elections held in Bangladesh and Nepal, both of which experienced national Internet shutdowns in the past year that coincidentally played a part in both governments being ousted.
As in the last two years, we will continue to track elections (see chart) and work with our #KeepItOn partners, as well as our Internet Society Chapters and members in affected countries, to urge governments not to order Internet shutdowns during elections (or at any time, for that matter).
In the meantime,
- Check out AccessNow’s Internet shutdown guide for election observers, embassies, activists, and journalists.
- Join us at RightsCon for our interactive session “Understanding Your Rights Starts With Measuring What’s Wrong.”
- Email us ([email protected]) about how we can work together to track and call out election-related and other forms of deliberate Internet shutdowns.