Statistics on the number of Coronavirus infections are manipulated to serve the political interests of Maia Sandu, according to the Socialist MP Bogdan Țîrdea, one of the most active promoters of false narratives in Moldova. The statistics narrative is false too, and, just like the previous ones, has been amplified by several publications.
NEWS: “The Socialist Bogdan Țîrdea mentions that there is a US biological laboratory in our country, part of the Academy of Sciences. Nobody knows what the lab does, but some conclusions need to be drawn.
It is strange that, after the presidential election, the number of infections suddenly dropped to a few hundred.
At the height of Maia Sandu's battle with parliament, it rose to 2,500. And as soon as Sandu dissolved parliament, the virus kind of disappeared, and only 40-90 cases of infection per day have been reported since.
“A strange, politically affiliated virus”, cenzura.md wrote, quoting Bogdan Țîrdea, in a news item entitled: “Țîrdea: the Covid in Moldova is politically affiliated”.
Also, bloknot-moldova.md writes, referring to the same conclusions drawn by the Socialist deputy, that “someone is manipulating the statistics on the number of cases of infection”.
NARRATIVES: 1. Someone (meaning the West, USA) is manipulating statistics on the number of infections with the new coronavirus in the Republic of Moldova, to serve the interests of Maia Sandu. 2. Statistics on the number of infections are not credible.
LOCAL CONTEXT / ETHOS: Bogdan Țîrdea is one of the ideologues of the Party of Socialists, but also the author of a book in which he accuses the West, especially the financier George Soros, of involvement in the political processes in the Republic of Moldova through non-governmental organizations. The book was launched during the 2020 presidential election campaign, with the aim of associating Maia Sandu, the main opponent of the socialist Igor Dodon, with the “parallel state”, “foreign agents”, etc.During that campaign, almost all the levers of power were being held by PSRM, which, practically, from that position, was also responsible for managing the epidemiological crisis. All the authorities did at the time was minimize the impact and risks of the pandemic, even if the existence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not officially denied; the Socialists were actually criticized for that approach.
PURPOSE: To inoculate the idea that the statistics on the number of Coronavirus infections are false, manipulated by the supporters / followers of Maia Sandu. To bring up the subject of Western (American) biological laboratories. To fuel conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: During the pandemic, the number of infections fluctuated significantly around the world, with peaks reached during several waves, and a drastic reduction between them. The oscillations depended on factors such as restrictions, the appearance of new outbreaks or stems, season, etc.; so, it is not unusual for the same to have happened in the Republic of Moldova.The data provided by www.worldometers.info show that the peak periods in the Republic of Moldova coincided with those around the world and in the neighboring countries, Romania and Ukraine: with record numbers of daily new cases reported in January and April.Currently, both globally and regionally, there are fewer cases compared to March-April, which is explained first by vaccination campaigns, especially on the European continent.In the Republic of Moldova, statistics on the daily number of infections are presented by the Ministry of Health, which is part of a government voted and supported by the Socialists.Between March and April, when a record number of cases were registered in the Republic of Moldova, the “fight” between Maia Sandu and the Socialists regarding the dissolution of parliament also reached its peak. Maia Sandu insisted on holding early elections, and one of the main arguments of PSRM against that scenario was the very complicated pandemic situation. Maia Sandu was accused of putting personal political ambitions above people's lives. So, if we were to agree that someone is manipulating the figures to serve Maia Sandu, in this case, whoever did that, did it to the detriment of the president. The existence of American biological laboratories, where biological weapons are allegedly produced, and people are performed tests on, etc., is an old topic, which appears usually during election campaigns and is promoted by the Russian-language press. Several debunking articles have been written on the subject, and the authorities have denied their existence.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The number of daily new cases of infection with the new coronavirus is fluctuating, both in the Republic of Moldova and at regional and global level.
Disinformation uses a variety of manipulation tactics. Disinformation stories can easily be created by combining provocative topics.
Report
Not even the most optimistic supporters of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) were expecting a landslide victory in the early parliamentary election. PAS didn’t just face left-wing parties, represented by the Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists, but Russia itself, which tried to lend the latter a helping hand. Yet its victory is only the beginning: the real challenge for PAS lies ahead.
FAKE NEWS: The right-wing bought votes in the Diaspora
The alleged election fraud, including bribe-giving, was one of the hot topics in the Republic of Moldova on election day. While media outlets siding with pro-European parties revealed alleged cases of bribe reported on the left bank of the Dniester, the pro-Socialist press focused on offenses reported abroad. One the main “arguments” about influencing voters in the Diaspora was a short video filmed by a young girl queuing outside a polling station in Frankfurt, Germany. In the background one can hear a few people talking and laughing, mentioning 50 Euro. A large number of press institutions affiliated to the Socialists carried the piece of news, suggesting the video is evidence that voters got bribed. The person who shot the video subsequently said it was all a joke, and that the media made erroneous assumptions.
DEMAGOG 2021. The Chisinau Report, No. 5: Radio Yerevan
disinformation, manipulative stories and fake news continued to flood the media as usual. Maia Sandu, PAS and the West were again the favorite targets of disinformation and fake narratives. Fake news authors were pretty much unimaginative, as they have been over the course of the entire campaign, resorting to narratives they used before, both in the current campaign, as well as in previous ones: a victory for the right-wing would spell disaster for the country
