The electronic voter registration system is well secured. To perform particular manipulations with the aim of registering multiple votes, about 100 persons must act concertedly on the election day in different electoral offices, which is practically impossible. In such conditions, vote rigging on the election day is not possible if the observers do their job. Such opinions were stated in a public debate entitled “Clean presidential elections: rigging risks” that was staged by the newspaper “Ziarul de Garda” at IPN News Agency.
The paper’s editor-in-chief Aneta Grosu said such an event is necessary as there are enough risks that the October 30 presidential elections will be rigged. For now, Moldova’s legislation hasn’t been adjusted to the electoral amendments and it won’t be thus possible to hold those to blame for voter corruption criminally accountable.
Galina Bostan, head of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption, stated that together with a team of specialists, they examined the Electronic Register of Voters by designing a number of election rigging scenarios. The specialists determined that this practice is impossible. The voter database is transmitted from the Register to the CEC by a secured channel and this is updated every night. Each elector will vote by introducing their INDP, which is unique in the system. This system, for the first time at the upcoming elections, will use a mechanism that makes a sound when the operator introduces the INDP that was already used to vote. Thus, the observers from the electoral office are warned immediately if multiple voting is attempted. According to specialists, the system can be deceived only if the voter’s INDP is introduced simultaneously in a number of polling places, but a number of operators will thus have to act concertedly.
The specialists who tested all kinds of schemes to see if the elections can be rigged by manipulating the Electronic Register recommend the observers to simply be attentive and, in the morning of the election day, to make sure that the speakers are connected. The voters are recommended to go to the polling station and verify the lists so as to see if there are no other persons registered at their address.
Candidates for President were also invited to the debate. The event involved candidate Ana Gutu, of the Party “The Right”. She said that postal or electronic voting should be introduced in Moldova so as to ensure the right to vote of those from the diaspora.
Cornelia Cozonac, who heads the Journalistic Investigations Center, said the elections are actually rigged during the election campaign by corrupting voters. She called on prosecutors to monitor those who declare that they donate financial resources to parties as it was earlier seen that the donors included public servants such as mailpersons, social workers and medical assistants, who always say that they have too low salaries.
