Numerous fake news pieces on the eve of the elections

Numerous fake news pieces were published in media and on social media on the eve of the tomorrow’s elections.

As an example, the fake news that the French President Emmanuel Macron invited Montenegrins to vote for the opposition on the tomorrow’s elections appeared on social media this night. Many accounts published the photo from the website politika.rs. The DFC’s analysis confirmed that this piece of news did not exist on that media but that this was a photomontage as well as that the last article on politika.rs concerning Macron had been published on Friday. The topic of the article was his statement on the situation in Belarus as well as the possible intervention of Russia in that country.

https://www.facebook.com/dfcme/photos/a.441906163345140/670352650500489/

Besides, the fake profile of a founder and a long-time President of the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro Slavko Perovic appeared on Twitter. His post was published by the opposition political parties – Demokrate (the Democrats) and the leader of the coalition Za budućnost Crne Gore (For the future of Montenegro) Zdravko Krivokapic, media, and activists on social media. The analysis confirmed that the fake profile was created today around 4 pm as well as that Mr. Perovic has not been using social media in quite some time and he is also not using a cellphone. The only account that Perovic actively used on Twitter was created in 2013 and he has not posted anything on this account for six years.

Glas javnosti (Voice of the public) earlier published the fake news that it was possible to enter Montenegro from Serbia without the PCR test. The text states that the entrance is enabled for a particular group of citizens (who have Montenegrin citizenship), through the border crossing Dracenovac in the municipality of Rozaje, without the negative PCR test. It is added that this option represents an attempt of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to improve its election result by „importing“ the persons of Bosniak nationality with Montenegrin citizenship, living in the Raska-Polimlje area, who had already started entering Montenegro this way. According to the measures of the National Coordination Body of Montenegro, the entrance from Serbia to Montenegro is possible only with a PCR test negative to a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and not older than 72 hours or positive result of antibody to the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) of the IgG class obtained by ELISA serological test. These rules apply to the Montenegrin citizens, as well as to the foreigners with Montenegrin residence and Serbian citizens. The Assistant Director of the Institute for Public Health Senad Begic said three days ago that he was expecting that the Serbian citizens would be able to enter Montenegro without the PCR test but he could not precise when. I am looking forward and expecting that the PCR test will not be the exclusive condition for entering Montenegro, if particular measures are eased, said Begic then.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEeSYIeJfur/

After Glas javnosti, this piece of fake news was published by the news portals Informer, Vecernje novosti, Alo and Espreso. After the DFC had registered this piece of fake news, Facebook reacted and marked the articles of the Belgrade tabloids as fake news on that social media.