HOT REPORT | Fear Still Sells – How Disinformation and Fear Shaped Latvia’s Election Campaign

BECID’s October 2026 Hot Report examines how fear, misleading narratives and disinformation shaped Latvia’s parliamentary election campaign. Its key finding is that manipulation was not primarily about convincing voters that the election was rigged, but about influencing what voters should fear.

Among the most striking findings was the portrayal of immigrants as criminals and a threat to Latvian women and the nation, despite the report noting that relevant third-country nationals make up only around 1.5% of Latvia’s population and commit offences less frequently than local residents. The campaign even included an AI-generated video depicting a white man whipping dark-skinned food couriers.

The report also identified political actors repeating or echoing Kremlin-linked narratives, including claims portraying Latvia as provoking Russia through its support for Ukraine and militarisation.

Another prominent example involved the Istanbul Convention, which was linked to fears around LGBTQ rights and gender, including the false claim that it would require Latvia to legalise same-sex marriage.

AI also entered the campaign through what the report calls “slopaganda”: exaggerated AI-generated political videos portraying politicians as heroic, powerful figures rather than sophisticated deepfakes designed to fool voters.

The wider warning is that fear itself can become an information-manipulation strategy making relatively limited issues appear existential, increasing distrust and shifting attention away from other concerns.

Read the Hot Report here: