Russian information operation in Georgia – Sputnik’s coordinated network on Facebook
sputniknews.com Georgian EPDE member organization ISFED uncovered a Russian information operation on Facebook in Georgia. ISFED explains the coordinated scheme used to promote and amplify Sputnik content among Facebook users in Georgia. ISFED discovered 11 disguised Facebook pages and 17 inauthentic Facebook profiles that spread Sputnik materials in an organized and coordinated manner. Specifically: […]
Policy Alert # 2 – Changes to Armenia’s Political Party Regulation: toward more transparent party financing
Image source: gmfus.org On March 20, 2020, the European Commission for Democracy Through Law (Venice Commission, VC) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) published their Joint Opinion on Draft Amendments to the Legislation Concerning Political Parties, by request of Armenia’s National Assembly. The changes were largely welcomed with a […]
Final report on by-elections
The Final Report of the Observation Mission (OM) for the New Parliamentary Elections in the single-member constituency (SMC) no. 38 from Hincesti, published today on the official website of the Promo-LEX Association (www.promolex.md), contains the facts, conclusions and recommendations established by the Election Observation Mission. Taking into account the approaching presidential elections, the OM draws […]
Policy Alert #4 – How corona thwarts Putin’s plan to change the constitution
Photo: msn.com Fast tracking the president’s constitutional changes The year 2020 was set to bolster Putin’s leadership of Russia’s politics but the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with the Kremlin’s script. In his January 15, 2020, address to the Federal Assembly, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin surprised many by announcing sweeping constitutional changes. Putin, […]
Reported leak of voter data raises questions
March 30 report of a news website ZDnet about leak of personal details of Georgian voters raises a number of questions. According to the news website, on March 28, a database of 4,934,863 Georgian citizens was shared on a hacker forum, containing full names, home addresses, dates of birth, ID numbers, mobile phone numbers and other data. […]
Problematic International Observation of the Azerbaijani 2020 Parliamentary Elections
In this latest EPDE report, Anton Shekhovtsov investigates how politically biased international election observers, including several current and former European parliamentarians, were used by Azerbaijani authorities to relativize critical findings of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Executive summary – Western experts consider the regime of Azerbaijani President […]
Kremlin’s 10 Disinformation Narratives on COVID-19 in Georgia
In Georgia and the Western countries, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is accompanied by a powerful campaign of information manipulation in social media, for disinformation and discrediting purposes. As the international crisis unfolds, intensified Russian disinformation campaign in Georgia, attempts to distort reality, demonstrate the need to distancing Georgia from the West, covertly attacks democratic institutions, tries […]
Parliament must resume electoral reform and prepare for local elections
Civil Network OPORA hereby urges the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the parliamentary committee on the organization of state power, regional development, local self-government, and urban planning to resume and intensify the electoral reform process and the legislative preparations for the regular local elections in Ukraine. The most recent public and expert discussion in this committee […]
Postponed elections due to COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak many countries have had to make drastic changes, including to their planned elections. Due to restrictions on mass gatherings and self-isolation requirements, many elections have been postponed. Every election planned for March 2020 and the following weeks has been postponed indefinitely. EPDE member Civil Network OPORA created this infographic based […]
By-elections Moldova – low turnout due to COVID-19 and authorities’ unclear response
Context On 27 December 2019 the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) set the date for holding the new parliamentary elections in the single-member constituency (SMC) no. 38 from Hincesti for 15 March 2020. We reiterate the Promo-LEX opinion according to which the date for the new parliamentary elections has been set by the CEC with delay, […]