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AI’s Nuanced Role in Democracy 

Digital spaces have become key arenas for citizens to receive and share information, turning social media platforms into primary sources of political communications.

This policy paper stems from the 26th Annual General Conference of the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries (ECF-SADC), held in Seychelles on 11 December 2024. It synthesizes insights from a distinguished panel of regional and international

North Macedonia has emerged as a notable case study for better understanding foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI)—how democratic and media vulnerabilities, societal divisions and domestic actors all play a part. Despite formal commitments to democratic reforms and European Union integration, the country remains vulnerable to corruption, and its regulatory gaps—combined with polarization and ethnic cleavages—make for a politicized media landscape.

This report analyses the European digital regulation and its impact on electoral integrity. Through a comprehensive approach, it examines how the EU digital playbook will play a role in regulating the main challenges of our (digital) democracies: data protection threats, cybersecurity attacks, content moderation, online gender-based violence, the use of AI in electoral management, online electoral campaigns, and the use of AI-generated content during elections. 

The prospect of EU membership continues to drive democratic reforms in Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine. This report—Part 2 of a broader analysis—focuses on electoral processes and the impact of digitalization in these four candidate countries. It assesses progress in aligning with the EU acquis, particularly in areas such as data protection, cybersecurity and digital governance, while identifying persistent gaps in oversight and institutional capacity.

Digitalization is transforming electoral processes across the European Union and its aspiring members. While it strengthens democratic participation, it also introduces risks, from opaque political financing and disinformation to foreign interference and cybersecurity threats. These challenges demand strong digital governance to keep elections free, fair and transparent within and beyond EU borders. 

The year 2025 marks two decades since governments and civil society first gathered in Geneva to envision a "people-centered information society," an idea that would culminate in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

El año 2025 marca dos décadas desde que los gobiernos y la sociedad civil se reunieron por primera vez en Ginebra para imaginar una "sociedad de la información centrada en las personas", una idea que culminaría en la Cumbre Mundial sobre la Sociedad de la Información (CMSI).

International IDEA convened the Fourth Annual Retreat for African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Special Envoys and High Representatives in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Senegal and with the support of the Governments of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway from 14 to 16 September 2025 in Dakar, Senegal.

Since its first publication in 2013, the Annual Review of Constitution-Building has become a trusted global reference on how constitutions evolve, and what that evolution reveals about democracy, governance, and the rule of law around the world.

Desde su primera publicación en 2013, la Revista Anual sobre la Construcción Constitucional se ha convertido en una referencia global de confianza sobre la evolución de las constituciones y lo que esta evolución revela sobre la democracia, la gobernanza y el Estado de derecho en todo el mundo.

International IDEA celebrates the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan democracy champion Maria Corina Machado. Her inclusive leadership of a peaceful and democratic alternative to Venezuela’s vile autocracy is an inspiration to people across Latin America and globally.

IDEA Internacional celebra la decisión del Comité del Premio Nobel de la Paz de otorgar el Premio Nobel de la Paz 2025 a María Corina Machado, defensora de la democracia venezolana. Su liderazgo inclusivo, en pos de una alternativa pacífica y democrática a la vil autocracia venezolana, es una inspiración para personas de América Latina y del mundo.

As part of the EU-funded INSPIRE UA project “Inclusive Support for Participation, Involvement, Representation, and Engagement of Ukrainians Abroad”, International IDEA facilitated a series of consultative visits by representatives of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Embassies of Ukraine to Finland, Denmark and Sweden on 8-16 September 2025.

As Ukraine prepares for post-war elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) is assessing how artificial intelligence (AI) could strengthen electoral administration.

Foreign manipulation of information and electoral interference were the key topics of the event hosted in Dakar on 2 October by AfricTivistes and International IDEA.

En la sede de la Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil de Colombia se realizó la jornada “IA y Democracia: ¿oportunidad o riesgo para las elecciones?”, organizada por IDEA Internacional en conjunto con la Registraduría Nacional, en el marco del proyecto Fortalecimiento de los Ecosistemas de Integridad Electora