Moldovan Central Electoral Commission says State Automated Information System, Elections, secured, cannot be manipulated

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has provided clarifications regarding the operation and security of the State Automated Information System, Elections,  (SIAS Elections), in the context of accusations and false information that have appeared in the public space.

According to the CEC, SIAS Elections is an essential digital tool in the electoral process and is hosted, for cybersecurity reasons, on the platform of the Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service (STISC).

CEC emphasizes that this decision was made in accordance with the current legislation and aims to protect the electoral process from possible external interferences, especially in the context of the heightened hybrid war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Commission assures that the operation, integrity, access and use of the system stay strictly within the Commission's competence, while STISC ensures only the technical hosting of the system, without access to electoral data.

At the same time, the institution categorically rejects any charge regarding the possible manipulation of voters’ number.

CEC reminds that the data on the votes cast can be verified through the minutes drawn up by the electoral bureaus of the polling stations.

Also, CEC denounces the ‘’spread of erroneous information and malicious interpretations’’ regarding the institution's independence. Representatives of the Commission describe these attacks as attempts to discredit and destabilize, in view of the parliamentary elections due on September 28.