Deep Dive: Fake Audio Newspaper Impersonates RFI During Ivorian Presidential Election

The specific political event is the impersonation of RFI by a fake audio newspaper amid the Ivorian presidential election. The Independent Electoral Commission of Côte d'Ivoire (CEI, the body responsible for organizing and supervising elections) operates under the constitutional authority outlined in the 2016 Constitution, which mandates free and fair elections. No direct precedent is cited in the source, but similar disinformation incidents have occurred in African elections, such as audio deepfakes in other nations' polls. RFI, as the impersonated entity, issued a statement through its editorial board, acting under its journalistic mandate to combat misinformation. This action falls within Côte d'Ivoire's governance structure, where the High Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (HACA, the regulatory body for media) enforces laws against false information under the 2019 digital code. Concrete consequences include potential delays in voter information dissemination, as citizens rely on radio for election news in areas with low internet access. For communities, this undermines trust in media outlets during the election period, affecting approximately 7.8 million registered voters. Governance structures face challenges in maintaining electoral integrity, with the CEI required to verify information sources. The outlook involves increased media monitoring by HACA post-election to prevent recurrence. Stakeholders include RFI, which protects its brand integrity, and Ivorian voters, who may receive skewed election coverage. Implications extend to broader electoral processes, where such impersonations can influence turnout or perceptions of candidates without altering official results directly.