Election Watch for the Digital Age

Presidential elections are headed to a runoff on April 11th after economist Andrés Arauz won the first round with too few votes to secure the presidency. Arauz will face either Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker, or Yaku Pérez, an Indigenous environmental activist; the contest between Lasso and Pérez remains too close to call. Source.

In the wake of the killing of two FMLN supporters, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has called on the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of American States to deploy international election observers earlier than planned. Observers are scheduled to arrive one week before the election day, but the TSE’s February 2 statement urges advanced deployment “in order to monitor, prevent, and denounce any act of political violence.” Source.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a statement on February 4 calling on El Salvador’s government to protect 34 journalists at the investigative online news outlet El Faro. Since Bukele took office, journalists for the platform have reported receiving threats from government institutions, facing anonymous smear campaigns, and being blocked from accessing government events. Source.

Georgia’s net score did not change in the new edition of Freedom on the Net, but the report documented increases in the number of cyberattacks and in domestic content manipulation. Read the Georgia report.

Freedom House released the new edition of Freedom on the Net, which found that internet freedom in Jordan improved slightly. Read the Jordan report.

Burmese election officials said the vote would go ahead as scheduled, following a request from the USDP to postpone it due a spike in COVID-19 cases. The rise in cases draws attention to the logistical challenges the pandemic poses for sound election administration. Read more.

Two political parties accused the UEC of censoring their campaign speeches before being broadcast on state TV and radio. The UEC allegedly removed politically sensitive topics related to ethnicity, socioeconomic issues, and government policy. Read more.

The government deemed journalism a “nonessential business,” meaning journalists are subject to COVID-19 movement restrictions in many parts of the country, including Yangon. This restriction potentially limits journalists’ ability to report on developments during the electoral period. Read more.

Freedom House released the new edition of Freedom on the Net, which found that internet freedom in Myanmar declined dramatically as the government ramped up censorship ahead of the elections. Read the Myanmar report.

A study released by Burma Human Rights Network reported 39 cases of hate speech and disinformation, some of which were shared over 2,000 times on various social media platforms, ahead of the elections. Anti-Muslim hate speech and disinformation featured prominently in these posts. Read more.

Myanmar’s government allegedly issued a directive to extend the mobile internet service restrictions in Rakhine and Chin states until the end of the year. The restriction was originally set to end on October 31st. Read more.

The Union Election Commission removed the Union Democratic Party from the list of registered political parties due to alleged violation of party registration laws, preventing any of the party’s candidates from contesting the election. Read more.

The UCC is moving forward with enforcing a regulation that requires “online data communication and broadcasting services” to register with commission. A UCC spokesperson said sites that fail to meet the October 5 registration deadline will be blocked. Read more.

Freedom House released the new edition of Freedom on the Net, which found that President Museveni’s government continues to tighten its grasp on internet users in Uganda through financial and regulatory constraints, as well as by prosecuting voices of dissent. Read the Uganda report.

Opposition candidate Muhammed Ssegirinya was arrested while livestreaming outside of the police station where Bobi Wine was detained, and was charged with “inciting violence.” Ssegirinya’s lawyer said that the charges are for filming evidence of police violence during Bobi Wine’s arrest.” Read more.

Four presidential candidates suspended their campaigns in protest of the arrest of two other candidates, Bobi Wine and Patrick Amuriat. Read more.

Anonymous reportedly hacked the Uganda Police Force website and took it offline in response to the violent police crackdown on protesters. Read more.

Numerous false and misleading claims about opposition candidate Bobi Wine have circulated on social media, including posts claiming that he has died, that President Barack Obama and President-elect Joe Biden have demanded his release, and that President Donald Trump has endorsed his candidacy.

Bobi Wine indefinitely suspended his presidential campaign after an attack on his car. The decision follows a recent increase in repression and violence against his supporters. Read more.

Bobi Wine resumed his presidential campaign after suspending it in protest of violent repression of his supporters. Read more.

The Media Council of Uganda revoked the accreditation of all foreign journalists, requiring them to re-register within seven days. Source.

The Financial Intelligence Authority ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of multiple non-governmental organizations involved in good governance work over alleged terrorist financing. Sources report the move may be politically motivated. Source.

The Facebook page for Ghetto TV, a pro-Bobi Wine online channel known for live-streaming his campaign activities, was reportedly hacked and deleted. The account was previously hacked in August. Source.

Google rejected a request from the Uganda Communications Commission to remove over a dozen YouTube channels whose content is seen as sympathetic to opposition candidate Bobi Wine. Source.

The Media Council of Uganda announced that local and foreign journalists must reapply for accreditation in order to cover the elections. Failure to register by the December 30 deadline could result in criminal charges. Source.

Opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine was arrested for allegedly violating a coronavirus campaign ban. However, the restrictions did not apply to the location where Wine was campaigning, suggesting that the arrest was politically motivated. Source.

BBS TV journalist, Culton Scovia Nakamya, was arrested on December 30th alongside Bobi Wine and his campaign team. Nakamya later confirmed that police said she incited violence by posting updates about Bobi Wine’s arrest on social media. Source.

On December 26, 2020, the Electoral Commission issued a statement prohibiting campaigning in Kampala and numerous other districts and cities due to rising COVID-19 infection rates. Analysts and opposition parties argue that the ban is intended to obstruct the opposition.

Presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat was arrested and detained on alleged traffic charges. The Daily Monitor reports that it was his ninth arrest since the Forum for Democratic Change nominated him as their candidate. Source.

Facebook removed a network of inauthentic accounts that was manipulating online discourse ahead of the election. The network was linked to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, and several government officials’ accounts were removed, as were those of other progovernment figures. Source.

The UCC ordered ISPs to block social media and messaging apps “until further notice.” Civil society organizations confirmed that restrictions on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and other platforms have been enacted. Source.

Internet connectivity was disrupted nationwide as of 7 p.m. on the night before the election. Source.

Suspension of Democratic Governance Facility Highlights Growing Concerns: President Yoweri Museveni's order to suspend the initiative comes as opposition parties bring allegations of electoral fraud to the Supreme Court. Read the full statement.

Facebook announced new measures, including a ban on political and issue-based advertising after voting ends on November 3, in an attempt to address false and manipulative narratives that may arise in the post-election period. Read more.

Facebook expanded its efforts to limit QAnon on its platforms. QAnon has spread on Facebook despite an earlier ban on QAnon groups that called for violence. Read more.

The FBI disrupted a plot by a militia to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the government. According to the affidavit, the FBI initially became aware of the plot when individuals were discussing it in a social media group earlier in the year. Read more.

In an effort to address misinformation ahead of the election, Twitter announced that it would adjust certain features on the platform, including the retweet option and what tweets appear on users’ timelines. Read more.

Freedom House released the new edition of Freedom on the Net. Although the online environment in the United States remains largely free from state censorship, the US declined for the fourth straight year in our report. Read the United States report.

In the new edition of Freedom on the Net, internet freedom in Venezuela suffered as internet connectivity was frequently disrupted, service providers blocked key sources of independent news and information, and independent online journalists increasingly self-censored. Read the Venezuela report.

Government-owned ISP CANTV blocked 30 websites between October 11 and October 16, including media outlets, sites containing information on COVID-19 offered by the interim government, opposition websites, and streaming platforms. Read more.

The National Electoral Council published new campaign regulations less than a week before the official start of the campaign period. Last minute changes to campaign rules often create confusion and can place opposition candidates at a disadvantage. Read the regulations.

A sustained homophobic smear campaign against Roland Carreño, a journalist and the coordinator of Voluntad Popular, continued when pictures of him that were obtained without his consent were posted on Twitter. Read more.

Opposition leaders, human rights activists and relevant opposition digital influencers reposted a video taken in 2016, portraying it as having been taken in 2020. The video is of a meeting where attendees are instructed to vote alongside staff who will ensure they vote in the favor of the governing party. Read more.

Interim president Juan Guaidó and other opposition leaders will boycott the election on the basis that it will not be a free and fair contest. The opposition instead plans to hold its own referendum on Nicolás Maduro’s rule. Read more.

Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in Venezuela’s election, which had low turnout and was boycotted by the opposition after a preelection period marred by political interference. Read more.

A fact-checking group found that some hashtags used during the election period, especially those promoted by the Ministry of Communication and Information, came from accounts with high rates of inauthentic behavior - sometimes as high as 79%. Read their thread.

On election day, some voters reportedly found polling places to be closed or delayed in opening without warning. Unforeseen changes to voting centers’ schedules and functioning can directly disenfranchise voters.

Election results were announced in a non-transparent way that at times appear inconsistent with the electoral framework. For example, National Assembly candidate Luis Parra won a seat that he was not nominated for, but later claimed he had changed races without notifying the public. Source.