Hate speech, sexist comments, and misinformation dominated online platforms, despite promises of a fair campaign.
On March 25, 2025, in a hall filled with representatives of political parties and calls for a fair campaign, the Code of Ethics for Digital Campaigns was officially signed at the headquarters of the Central Election Commission. The document aimed to set a standard for the ethical use of online platforms during the campaign for the May 11 elections.
The code, drafted with the support of international organizations such as the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the Finnish Rule of Law Center and the American Democratic Institute, was an attempt to persuade parties towards a voluntary commitment to ethics.
“The Code of Conduct on Digital Campaigns in Albania is a self-regulatory and voluntary mechanism. As such, it is not subject to formal sanctions”, says Marsida Gjonçaj from the IDEA organization.
But just a few weeks later, with the launch of the campaign, digital platforms returned to being spaces of abuse. Hate speech, sexist comments, misinformation and intimidation, especially towards women and girls in politics, not only did not stop, but deepened.
IDEA engaged BIRN to monitor the implementation of the commitments that political parties made by signing the Code. The monitoring identified 349 cases of violations during the period 11 April–18 May, including the use of artificial intelligence to generate manipulated content and cases of cyberbullying.
Sexist comments, threatening messages and gender profiling
The Central Election Commission set up a special monitoring structure that included 50 public institutions and their social media profiles. The CEC told Citizens that only three posts were considered to be in violation of the rules and were referred for investigation. However, administrative investigation verifications found that these publications had been deleted and no further measures were taken.
The Gender Alliance for Development Center (GADC), in collaboration with Pikasa Analytics, documented that the most frequent attacks on women candidates included sexist language, misogynistic insults, threats, blackmail, and moral control.
“More than a report, it is a call to restore the dignity of women in the public space and establish gender equality as an inseparable pillar of democracy,” declares Mirela Arqimandriti, director of GADC.
For many women engaged in politics, the 2025 campaign was a confrontation not only with their political opponent, but with an exclusionary public culture, built on comments about their bodies, clothing, or background.
“I think that every woman faces this moral dilemma during the campaign, I’ve heard a variety of comments,” says Ina Majko, a candidate for the Socialist Party and now deputy minister, underlining that even representatives of the majority have not been untouched by discriminatory language.
For Edona Haklaj, candidate of the “Albania Becomes Initiative”, the attacks began from the moment she announced her candidacy. She had stated in a short video that she had two good news, her candidacy for “Albania Becomes” and the arrest of Mayor Veliaj.
“In the comments, there was offensive language, from fake profiles that seemed to be from the same hand or office. Most accused me of stealing too, and that I too would end up in prison,” says Haklaj, who adds that throughout the campaign she has been accompanied by comments about her appearance.
For Bora Mema, candidate of the Together Movement, sexist comments follow women even beyond the campaign and are often fueled by high-profile politicians or media that reduce their role to an aesthetic or representative aspect, not a substantive one.
“All they have to do is see that you’re a woman posting videos on TikTok and people give themselves the right to call you a ‘whore’. It bothers me that this has become normalized for me,” says Mema.
Gender quotas: enough for numbers, not enough for security
The May 2025 elections took place in a context where gender quotas have increased the numerical inclusion of women, but not necessarily their qualitative inclusion.
Women candidates experienced a lack of protection against digital violence, public ridicule in the media, and a lack of institutional will to support them.
“At first it had an emotional impact, but at the peak of the campaign I decided to ignore them. The workflow helped me,” says Ina Majko.
“I’ve learned to live with these comments, or I just block them. When they’re real criticisms, I don’t delete them,” explains Haklaj.
Once again, political parties failed to uphold their campaign ethics commitments. Despite signing the Code of Ethics and public commitments, hate speech, personal attacks, and disinformation continued to be present on online platforms. In the absence of punitive mechanisms and institutional support, protection against digital violence remains inadequate.
The GADC report lists a number of recommendations to address gender-based violence in politics, including improving the Criminal Code to punish disinformation and hate campaigns as well as drafting a specific law on Violence against Women in Politics.
The report emphasizes that it would also be necessary for Albania’s political institutions to go beyond gender symbolism and recognize gender-based violence in politics as a systemic crisis of democracy, and only then can the principles of equality, representation, and voice be truly realized.