{"id":3505,"date":"2025-05-13T12:22:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/?p=3505"},"modified":"2025-05-13T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T15:01:09","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/eng\/news\/albanian_tiktok_hashtags\/","title":{"rendered":"Political hashtags trending on Albanian TikTok","raw":"Political hashtags trending on Albanian TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 11, 2025, parliamentary elections were held in Albania. We decided to analyze Albanian TikTok trends for political hashtags. Using Exolyt \u2014 TikTok Social Intelligence Platform<\/a> we discovered only three political hashtags: Prime Minister Edi Rama, former President Sali Berisha, and the opposition Democratic Party of Albania (Partia Demokratike).<\/p>\n

\nElections to the Albanian parliament were competitive and professionally organized, with authorities successfully handling the task of organizing voting outside the country for the first time, and candidates generally able to campaign freely. However, they were marked by widespread abuse of state resources and institutional power by the ruling party, while numerous reports of pressure on civil servants and other voters, as well as cases of intimidation are concerning, international observers said in their statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nAbout 3.7 million voters were registered to vote in the parliamentary elections, including nearly 250,000 registered abroad. Overall, the voter registration process was transparent, and the inclusion of overseas voters for the first time was an important step toward broader participation in elections. Albania continues to deploy new technologies through biometric voter identification and electronic voting. Observers noted that there is generally high confidence in the use of technology, although some concerns were expressed, mainly by the opposition. Preparation for the elections was effective, and election day itself was generally assessed well, but procedures were often not followed, and several instances of intimidation and interference with the process were noted.<\/p>\n

\nGeneral statistics on political hashtags<\/strong>
\nAnalysis time period: April 12, 2025 \u2014 May 12, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Indicator<\/th>\n#edirama<\/th>\n#saliberisha<\/th>\n#partiademokratike<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Total videos<\/td>\n421<\/td>\n701<\/td>\n700<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total views<\/td>\n24.7 million<\/td>\n12.5 million<\/td>\n9.5 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total likes<\/td>\n0.6 million<\/td>\n0.5 million<\/td>\n0.4 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total comments<\/td>\n36 thousand<\/td>\n20 thousand<\/td>\n18 thousand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total shares<\/td>\n304 thousand<\/td>\n165 thousand<\/td>\n77 thousand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average views per video<\/td>\n58,664<\/td>\n17,849<\/td>\n13,609<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average likes per video<\/td>\n1,456<\/td>\n765<\/td>\n581<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Engagement rate<\/td>\n3.4%<\/td>\n5.5%<\/td>\n5.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The table demonstrates key metrics for the three main political hashtags in Albanian TikTok. The analysis shows a clear contrast between the strategies of the incumbent government and the opposition. The hashtag #edirama (prime minister) has the fewest videos (421), but leads in total views (24.7 million) and average views per video (58,664). The opposition hashtags #saliberisha and #partiademokratike are represented by more videos (701 and 700 respectively), but with fewer views (12.5 million and 9.5 million).<\/p>\n

\nThe engagement data is particularly revealing: the engagement rate for #edirama is only 3.4%, while for opposition hashtags it is significantly higher (5.5% and 5.2%). This may indicate different approaches: the incumbent government’s campaign is focused on maximum reach, possibly using promotion, while the opposition focuses on active audience interaction, attracting more loyal supporters.<\/p>\n

\nLet’s analyze the political actors’ hashtags using the same framework:
\n#edirama<\/strong>
\nThis hashtag is often used to denote Edi Rama, an Albanian politician and artist who has been Prime Minister of Albania since 2013.
\n\"\"