On December 13-14, 2021, a delegation from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), led by the Secretary of the Commission, Alexandr Berlinschii, is conducting a study visit to the Republic of Estonia with the support of the Council of Europe.
The purpose of the visit is to analyze Estonia's experience in implementing electronic voting, as well as other alternative voting mechanisms. CEC officials have scheduled several meetings with representatives of the National Electoral Committee, the State Electoral Office, IT Cybernetica, the Information Systems Authority, the Supreme Court of Justice, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, and the Ambassador of Moldova to the Republic of Estonia.
Alexandr Berlinschii thanked on behalf of the Central Electoral Commission for the opportunity and openness of Estonian colleagues to provide information on the actions taken, as well as possible challenges in regulating, developing, maintaining, using and promoting electronic voting.
We mention that the opportunity to introduce alternative voting methods is widely discussed in Moldovan society and is also on the agenda of the Parliament, especially after the national elections of 2020 and 2021. The implementation of these mechanisms is specified in the CEC Strategic Plan for 2020- 2023. To date, the Commission has prepared, with the support of development partners, several documents in this regard, including a feasibility study. Such methods can help increase the number of voters participating in the vote, especially young people, citizens of the Republic of Moldova abroad, those living on the left bank of the Dniester River and people with disabilities.