The public consultation of the technical specifications for the design of the informational system for electronic voting was held today, March 2, 2023 in Chisinau. The event was attended by the experts involved in the development of the system from the e-Government Agency (EGA), Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) and anyone who is interested in the introduction of electronic voting.

The presentations and discussions focused on the model proposed for implementation in the Republic of Moldova, the security arrangements, legal implications, data protection, core principles of e-voting, its benefits and the inherent conditions for using e-voting in elections in Moldova.

The speakers stressed that to fulfill the pre-requisite for putting in place e-voting it is important to ensure access to the digital identity solutions for all Moldovan citizens, regardless of their place of residence. According to the experts, similarly to Estonia Moldova can implement the e-voting system as all the necessary digital solutions and instruments have already been developed by EGA and are in place. 

Implementation and integration of the e-voting system in Government’s ICT architecture requires the involvement of several institutions, each having specific tasks related to the organization of the e-voting process, in particular EGA, CEC, STISC, SIS and others.

According to the director of the e-Government Agency, Olga Tumuruc, there are at least three strong reasons to implement the electronic voting:

- the poor participation in the core democratic exercise;

- the large number of fellow citizens in the Moldovan diaspora;

- constant attempts to rig elections by influencing votes.

„The implementation of the electronic voting was included in the Government Program and has advanced from the research stage to clear actions, which have led to today’s consultation of the electronic voting model”, Mrs. Tumuruc added.

During the event, EGA expert Artur Reaboi presented the electronic voting stages and the technical security arrangements concluding that „all the knowledge and technical tools required to implement a secure online voting system are in place and this must be done as soon as possible”.

Referring to the need to implement the digital voting mechanism, Gheorghe Pantaz, STISC director, noted that „Moldova has chosen to become a digitized country and the electronic voting system is part of this process”.

The event was also attended by international experts who presented the good practices in the field and explained how digital technology is used in the voting process in Estonia – one of the most digitally advanced states, which has successfully used the electronic voting in elections for several years. Additionally, the participants worked in groups involving experts from relevant public institutions, as well as specialized non-governmental organizations.

The development of the electronic voting system is in line with the National Digital Transformation  Strategy and aims at improving cyber security and infrastructure of the government.  According to the organizers, consultations will be held at all stages of the process to ensure maximum transparency.