Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
Fake news has begun to circulate on social networks claiming an agreement between the opposition parties in Kosovo (PDK, LDK and AAK) and the Serbian political entity, the Serbian List.
These claims were published yesterday by several accounts on TikTok, Facebook, and the X platform, sparking reactions and speculation in public opinion.
False claim: “Serbian List: agreement with LDK, PDK and AAK”
Some fake news has begun circulating on social networks such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook, claiming an alleged agreement between opposition parties in Kosovo and the Serbian political entity, Lista Srpska.
One of the spreaders of this false information is the TikTok account named "me.qeverine.kurti3", which has published an image with the claim: "Serbian List: we have an agreement with LDK and PDK where we will have four ministries when we form the government. There will be no Albanian police in the north and we will remove Kurti from power!!!" (here). The content was published on April 16 at 13:56 p.m.
This false claim was also shared on Facebook by a suspicious account named "Lule Gjeli" (here). The content was published on April 16 at 15:24 p.m.
The same content was also shared on the X platform by an account named “Ernesto Ferrari”, this time in English, giving the content greater potential for international dissemination (here). The content was published on April 16 at 16:34 p.m.
No official source or political actor has confirmed any such agreement, which indicates that we are dealing with deliberate disinformation aimed at inciting confusion and division in public opinion.
Today, April 17, the “Ernesto Ferrari” account on the X platform published another fake news, this time in English, claiming that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has announced a coalition with the Albanian opposition parties (PDK and LDK) and has given messages about the political destruction of Albin Kurti and benefits for Serbia. “Vučić is enthusiastic: 'Thanks to our work, we have achieved a good coalition with our Albanians [PDK and LDK]. The mines will be Serbian. We will declare Albin Kurti politically dead. Long live Serbia.'” (here)
Although not accompanied by any reliable source or direct quote from the Serbian president, this post tends to create the perception of a secret agreement between the Serbian List and opposition parties in Kosovo.
False claim: “Vučić: The Serbian List will form the government with the opposition”
Also, another unfounded claim is circulating on these social media accounts, according to which the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has declared that the Serbian List will form the next government in Kosovo together with the opposition.
This fake news was published on April 16 by the “Kosova Channel” page on Facebook, and was later distributed by the information portal “KosovaPost.net” (here). The content was published on April 16 at 00:57 p.m.
The published content has been analyzed and refuted by the fact-checking platform, hibrid.info. (see here).
This false statement, for which there is no evidence or reliable source, was subsequently distributed by the TikTok account “me.qeverine.kurti3” (here). The content was published on April 16 at 14:43 p.m.
This account published a photo showing three potential candidates for prime minister from the opposition parties: Bedri Hamza from PDK, Lumir Abdixhiku from LDK and Ramush Haradinaj from AAK, along with an image of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The post was captioned: “Vučić: The government is formed by the Srpska List together with the opposition,” creating the impression of a direct statement that has not been confirmed by any official source.
This fake news was also distributed on the X platform by the account named "Ernesto Ferrari", where it was published in English with similar content and narrative (here). Content published on April 16 at 19:28.
Also, the same fake news has been circulating throughout February from various Facebook pages, re-spreading at different times. (see here treatment from hibrid.info)
Accounts on Tiktok, Facebook and the X platform
TikTok account "with.the.kurti.government3", has over 11 thousand followers, while its content has accumulated a total of around 490 thousand likes.
In its published content, this account often uses political names and references to the current government in Kosovo, presenting itself as a supporter of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. However, in some cases it has distributed unverified information and fake news, especially about the relations between opposition parties and the Serbian List, becoming part of the spread of political disinformation online.
The fact-checking platform hibrid.info has addressed several cases of misinformation and fake news published by the TikTok account “me.qeverine.kurti3”. (see here, here, here)
The account on the X platform with the name “Ernesto Ferrari” and the user @ErnestoFerrari9 presents itself as an academically inclined profile, describing itself as MSc in Political Communication and Public Affairs ??????????????????, with a stated location in Preveza, Albania. This account was created in June 2020, follows 858 accounts and has 1,654 followers.
Despite the academic description, the profile has been identified as a source of several false and disinformation content, which has been distributed in regional political contexts, including narratives regarding the relationship between the Kosovo opposition and the Serbian List. These posts have been published mainly in English.
Also, the photo used in this profile, which depicts a male person, was not found in any other source through reverse internet searches. This leaves room for well-founded suspicions that the image may have been generated through artificial intelligence (AI), suggesting that the person depicted in the photo does not exist in reality. This practice is common in accounts that spread misinformation and seek to create a credible, but fictitious, identity.
The Facebook page named "Rooster Flower” has over 6 followers. It has been identified as a source of questionable content, including fake news and posts with biased, often unverified political content, which hibrid.info has addressed. (see here, here, here)