A further post (Figure 6) circulated a viral video accompanied by a voice message claiming that a
powerful businessman had promised to exempt anyone who voted for candidate Kawe from paying
service fees for one month. No evidence was presented to support this claim. The content relied on
fabricated audio narration and false attribution of influence, aiming to portray the candidate as a
beneficiary of illicit deals.32
Figure 6: shows a fabricated audio claim of influential endorsement and vote-buying for Kawe
Manipulating content and deceptive labelling: Sexual insinuation & guilt by
association
The post (Figure 7) republished a screenshot of content implying an affiliation or personal relationship
between a women candidate and a well-known political influencer associated with the PUK in
Sulaymaniyah.33 The accompanying text used ambiguous and sexually suggestive language without
presenting any evidence, while the visual background of the post included an image containing
sexualised or phallic symbolism entirely unrelated to the Iraqi political context. By combining vague
sexual implication, misleading visual cues, and an unsubstantiated claim of political affiliation, the post
framed the candidate as engaged in inappropriate personal or political relationships, relying on sexual
insinuation and guilt by association rather than verifiable information. This constitutes sexualised
disinformation and character assassination, targeting a woman candidate through implied immorality
and false political affiliation.
Figure 7:
shows sexualized disinformation implying
misconduct and false political ties to discredit a
woman candidate
32
Gencêt Azadîxwaz. (2025, November 10). Main tactics and trends [Facebook post]. Facebook.
https://perma.cc/BGE6-P7XE
33
هانا،خۆشناو. (2025, November 13). Main tactics and trends [Facebook post]. Facebook.
https://perma.cc/R79F-YW9M
36