In the run-up to the German federal election taking place on 23 February 2025, GADMO, EDMO’s Hub covering Germany and Austria, provides weekly insights into key election-related developments in Germany’s digital information space. Please note that the below is a semi-automated translation of the German version of the weekly election newsletter.
Some lies literally travel around the world. At the end of last week, U.S. Vice President JD Vance once again voiced a repeatedly debunked false claim at the Munich Security Conference: A former EU Commissioner – he meant Thierry Breton – had warned that the election in Germany could be annulled like in Romania if things did not go “according to plan.” He apparently confuses a quote from Breton taken out of context regarding the Digital Services Act with a distorted statement attributed to German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was alleged to have made a similar threat. This again shows: Fact-checks are important, even though JD Vance apparently does not read any.
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What we have uncovered recently
A recurring theme in this election campaign is that the far-right populist AfD party is portrayed as more successful on social networks than it actually is. Several videos of large crowds circulated with false context: Contrary to claims, no AfD supporters were visible but rather demonstrations against the rightward shift or even a concert.
Similar messages are intended to be conveyed by false opinion poll results that always make support for the AfD look greater than it is according to surveys by reputable polling institutes. Recently, one such post was attributed to something called the Democracy Institute. An investigation shows: This alleged think tank from the USA does not seem to really exist as an organisation, and its presumed founder appears politically anything but neutral.
However, a graphic intended to show the success of the Greens among female voters also falls into the category of “unclear data basis.” A fact-check reveals that the Greens were neither the strongest force among women in the last federal election nor in state elections.
Who got it wrong recently
In last Sunday’s TV debate on RTL, Olaf Scholz, Friedrich Merz, Robert Habeck, and Alice Weidel faced off for the first time. They didn’t always stick to the facts. Here you can find a fact-check of some key claims on migration, climate, and the Ukraine war.
How the election is being attacked
A video is currently circulating that allegedly shows mail-in ballots for the city of Leipzig, on which the AfD is missing. This is a forgery – and several indications suggest that it is part of a Russian influence operation. The video was shared by the same accounts and individuals who have already spread multiple fakes from a campaign nicknamed “Storm-1516.” CORRECTIV uncovered their targeted interference in the election campaign back in January; since then, several more fakes have been launched. These do not always reach a large audience – but when they go viral, as with this video featuring the fake ballots, the potential damage is enormous.
The Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS), in cooperation with Alliance4Europe, has discovered that some narratives from this campaign were also propagated by AfD politicians in Germany.
Dealing with foreign disinformation is a delicate balancing act – giving it too much attention may inadvertently amplify its intended effect of creating uncertainty among citizens. However, if these narratives are allowed to enter political debates, there is a significant risk that they will become entrenched over time – just think of JD Vance in Munich.
