Regulating election campaigns online with codes of conduct: The example of North Macedonia

Between September 2022 and October 2023, ODIHR supported North Macedonia’s Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (the Agency) in developing a Code of Conduct in the Online Sphere during Electoral Processes and Referenda (the Code).

The Code addresses the conduct of political parties and candidates online, including on social networks, during electoral processes and referenda. It also covers the online conduct of the media, fact-checkers and other entities that may influence the public during a campaign. The Code is an innovative tool for tackling the challenges of electoral integrity in the online sphere and is the first such initiative in the Western Balkans.

ODIHR’s assistance to the Agency was part of the Support to Electoral Reforms in the Western Balkans project, funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency.