Filipçe: There should be no rush on electronic voting; clear guarantees are needed for the security of the electoral process

LSDM leader Venko Filipçe believes the government has no reason to rush the controversial solution for electronic voting by the diaspora, envisaged in the proposed Electoral Code, even though it concerns elections that will be held in 2029.

According to him, before legal changes are imposed, a full review should be carried out, a debate with experts should be held, and clear guarantees should be secured for the protection of the electoral process if this voting model for the diaspora is implemented.

Responding to a journalist’s question, Filipçe said the key issue is how to guarantee that the system will function properly from the electronic standpoint, adding that this should be regulated by law. He underlined that if there is even the slightest suspicion that something could damage the electoral process, there is no reason to rush, especially when the elections will not be held tomorrow or in the autumn, but in 2029, three years from now.

Instead of an accelerated procedure, he proposed opening a serious and comprehensive process to find the most suitable solution. According to Filipçe, a working group should be formed with experts and representatives of several political parties, while the relevant article should be temporarily removed from the law, worked on, and then returned to the Electoral Code only if it is confirmed that the system is secure and sound.

At the same time, Filipçe stressed that there is no need for the diaspora to face doubts about the legitimacy of its vote.

He raised the question of why citizens living abroad should have to vote in a way that tomorrow could be called into question as to whether it was legal, whether there had been abuse, or whether it was legitimate. According to him, fellow citizens living abroad should not be exposed to the risk of someone later telling them that they had been part of elections conducted unlawfully, because there is no need for such a thing at all.

/Telegrafi/