European Union poll observers to monitor trolls, foreign meddling

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign election interference is becoming a “more common” concern in many countries, the head of the European Union Election Observation Mission said yesterday, underscoring that the EU EOM would closely monitor interference, trolling and disinformation to influence the upcoming Philippine vote.

Marta Temido, the chief observer and member of the European Parliament, said that the EU EOM core team has a unit focused on analyzing social media and activities linked to trolls and interference in democratic elections.

The social media analyst unit and media analyst unit have experts who focus on election disinformation.

“We have a press officer, legal analyst and data analyst units. All the concerns you mentioned – foreign interference, hate speech, online manipulation – are being analyzed by our core team, along with insights from our 72 long-term observers and the remaining short-term observers,” Temido said during a press conference.

During a Senate probe on Thursday, the National Security Council (NSC) said there are indications that China is conducting a “state-sponsored” campaign to interfere in the May 12 polls.

In the probe, Sen. Francis Tolentino also revealed that the Chinese embassy in Manila was “paying for Filipinos to work in troll farms” to undermine the Philippine government.

“There’s a dedicated social media monitoring unit. And of course, those kinds of issues will be closely monitored in there, if they exist, of course. It’s true that, I mean from over the years, and there will be more and more foreign interference in elections, not only here, but obviously also in the European Parliament elections, in other countries in the world,” Temido said.

The EU EOM’s report, she said, will address those concerns. The preliminary assessment will be released days after the elections while the final report will be delivered two months after.

European Union observers

The European Union has deployed for the first time 72 long-term observers to the Philippines to observe the May 12 elections.

In response to the Philippine government’s invitation, High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission (HR/VP) Kaja Kallas decided to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission.

Temido launched the first EU EOM deployed to the country to observe the May 12 midterm elections at the invitation of the Philippine government.

“This will be the first deployment of an EU Election Observation Mission in the country, marking an important step toward stronger EU-Philippines relations. Our presence aims to contribute to an inclusive, transparent and credible election process without interfering nor validating its results,” Temido said.

“During my visit, I received a warm welcome from the Filipino people, as did the core team based in Manila and our 72 long-term observers who have been deployed all over the country,” she added.

Temido met with several stakeholders, including the Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman and commissioners, government officials, political parties, candidates, representatives of civil society and the media.

“I had several meetings in Manila and Cebu to learn about election preparations. Our 72 long-term observers have already met dozens of interlocutors across the country and are preparing comprehensive, evidence-based reports from their areas of observation,” she said.

The EOMs are a fundamental component of European Union activities to promote democracy, human rights and civil society participation worldwide.

“Our core principles are independence, neutrality, impartiality, non-interference, cooperation and partnership with the host country and its citizens. These principles guide us throughout the mission,” the chief observer remarked.

The EOM started its activity on March 28 with the arrival of a core team of 12 analysts in Manila, followed by the arrival and deployment of 72 long-term observers. Shortly before election day, they will be joined by more than 100 short-term observers.

On election day, the EU EOM will have more than 200 observers on the ground, one of the EU’s largest deployments in 30 years of election observation.

This includes a delegation from the European Parliament and around 20 diplomats accredited in the Philippines from EU member states as well as from Canada, Norway and Switzerland.

The mission’s mandate is to assess the extent to which the elections comply with Philippine laws, as well as the Philippines’ international commitments related to democratic elections, and international good practice.

“The mission observes and analyses the entire electoral process, including the legal framework, electoral administration, automated election technology, the campaign environment – including media and social media – voting and tallying of results, as well as complaints and appeals,” Temido said.

The EU EOM is committed to remaining neutral and to abide by the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.

The mission will issue its initial findings in a preliminary statement, which will be presented at a press conference on May 14.

A final report with recommendations for future electoral processes will be presented to the national stakeholders and published at a later stage.

The EU EOM is financed exclusively by the EU budget.