Campaign advertising

Their main rivals in the opposition Democratic Party had their own propaganda blitz, making the April 25 elections one of the most expensive in history in Albania.

Facebook logo. Photo: Unsplush/kon-karampelas

According to the report, the biggest parties predictably spent more money in sponsored posts for political content than the others.

Facebook has added Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova and Turkey to its updated list of countries that must adhere to its strict political advertising transparency regulations.

One of the most popular social networks in the world, Twitter has announced that it bans political ads, AFP reports.

Company CEO Jack Dorsey said in a tweet: "We've made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought. Why? A few reasons…."

Macedonia's government and the opposition have used the turbulence surrounding the forthcoming 'name' referendum to reintroduce state-funded advertising, which was halted a few years ago, and introduce controls over online media - moves that watchdogs and journalists say will curb media freedom and distort the media market again.

As political pressure mounts on social media companies to say where ads are coming from, Twitter will reveal more information about political advertising on its platform, according to CNBC News.