The more they lose control, the more the have to resort to heavy-handed direct censorship and propaganda methods. The more they resort to those, the more credibility they lose.
They have been trading credibility for political power for thirty years, and their credibility account is nearly bankrupt.
The cheating is baked in now and in 18 the rats learned it is impossible to get a court to even delay an election result let alone reverse one. So they have no restraints. Looks to me like they won the war