The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) proposes opening two polling stations each in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Israel for the September 28 parliamentary elections. IPN reports that the institution cites the need to ensure the security of election officials and the equipment required for the voting process.
The CEC Vice President, Pavel Postica, warns that deploying electoral staff to conflict zones carries significant risks.
“We are applying the same approach we used in the previous election. For this election, it is unclear how many polling stations will open, but the factual and legal circumstances are the same as last year. We are talking about countries that are in military conflicts and war,” Pavel Postica stated during the Rezoomat program on Rlive TV.
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The official stressed that protecting electoral staff in wartime conditions is difficult.
“It is quite complicated to deploy electoral officials in these countries without exposing them to the risk of becoming victims of a military incident. It is also complicated to send equipment that requires secure access. On the one hand, we are discussing cybersecurity. On the other hand, we want to send to the Russian Federation — where we have no guarantees — or to Ukraine or Israel, equipment that grants access to the State Voter Register,” the CEC vice president explained.
Pavel Postica also recalled past situations in which Moldovan citizens were arrested in the Russian Federation and questioned whether people would be willing to work in such conditions.
“A polling station means a local venue, the host country’s approval, trained electoral officials, and equipment brought under protection and with security guarantees. We also recall instances where authorities arrested Moldovan citizens. Let’s see how many citizens will want to be electoral officials in such circumstances,” the CEC vice president noted.
For the September 28 parliamentary elections, the CEC proposes opening a total of 294 polling stations for Moldovan citizens abroad.