Moldova pushes back against disinformation
On Sunday, people in Moldova went to the polls amid reports of widescale Russian interference in pivotal parliamentary elections. Hours later, we learned that Moldovan president Maia Sandu’s European Party of Action and Solidarity had secured over 50% of the vote, winning a majority in parliament and defeating the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc.
For democracy and freedom of expression advocates, the Moldova result is a key win for information integrity and the fight against disinformation. Despite well-coordinated and well-funded campaigns aimed at promoting pro-Kremlin sentiment, the public, civil society, and citizens have spoken clearly in favour of democratic principles.
It’s a welcome message, especially in light of the current climate and threats to democracy in Georgia following the Georgian Dream Party’s rise to power. In the run up to 2024 parliamentary elections, monitoring groups documented Russian disinformation campaigns on social media platforms and across messaging apps aimed at influencing voters, as well as numerous election irregularities. Since then, threats to independent journalists and activists have been on the rise, and they face mounting tactics to silence them, including jail.
Investigative reports from the BBC, Moldovan media outlet Ziarul de Garda, and others reveal Russian operatives paid groups to push out pro-Russia propaganda and false messages ahead of Moldova’s elections, including about electoral fraud, on social media using bots, fake accounts and websites, and generative AI. The Moldovan media NGO the Independent Journalism Centre documented synchronised, coordinated online posts claiming allegations of political repression and targeted attacks on the opposition, and questioning Maia Sandu’s legitimacy. Promo-LEX’s election monitoring documented a range of incidents aimed to disrupt voting, including attempts to undermine voter secrecy.
There were also threats of physical violence: prior to election day, Moldovan police detained 74 people on suspicion of preparing mass unrest, many of them reportedly trained in Serbia. Moldova Live and Politico reported bomb threats targeting polling stations based overseas, including in Belgium, Romania, Spain, and the United States.
Efforts to support Moldova in its defence of the rule of law and keeping it on a democratic course gathered momentum as Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this year, Antanina Maslyka and Joanna Szymańska from ARTICLE 19 Europe joined fellow activists and media freedom experts at the Moldova Internet Governance Forum to discuss the rise in online information manipulation and efforts to strengthen resilience and foster ethical, transparent governance online.
At a time when democracy is under threat in so many nations around the world, when politics and the media continue to be polarised and fractured, and authoritarians recognise the powerful weapon disinformation can be, we need reliable news and information.
Moldova’s push back against a formidable campaign to sway its electorate is a reminder that advocacy to support independent journalists and protect free access to accurate and reliable information – to challenge disinformation and ultimately strengthen democratic institutions and processes – does have a real impact.
