CHISINAU, July 8. /TASS/. Moldova’s opposition warns about possible voter fraud during the upcoming parliamentary elections after the country’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) decided to transfer its data center onto the government’s platform.

Leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Prosperity told a news conference that there is a high probability that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, which controls the cabinet, may rig preliminary voting results and thus influence voters.

"The government is not an independent participant in the elections. It is a political actor and there are no guarantees that the data coming from polling stations will not be used to manipulate the agency or a department controlled by the ruling party. <…>. Any manipulation of this data before announcing official results may influence voters - either mobilize them or play down their activity in favor of a select party," the coalition’s leader, Igor Munteanu said.

He called for cancelling the decision to transfer the data center onto the platform operated by the government Service of Information Technologies and Cybersecurity. "The Election information system should be under full control of the Central Electoral Commission. Apart from that, the opposition demands an open technical audit to check the system’s integrity ahead of the voting day," he stated.

Last week, the Central Electoral Commission explained its decision to relocate its data center by the need to ensure safe protection from potential cyberattacks. According to the CEC, it will continue controlling and operating the system. It slammed the criticism of this move as "an attempt to discredit the commission and an attack on democracy."

Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission is comprised of nine members, with one being appointed by the president, two delegated by the parliament, two - by the government, and two - by the Superior Council of Magistrates, which manages the judicial system. President Maia Sandu is a founder of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, which controls the country’s parliament and government.

Parliamentary elections in Moldova are scheduled for the fall of 2025 and, judging by opinion polls, the ruling party has little chance to win. So, the future government is unlikely to be single-party. The opposition includes the Victory and Alternative blocs. The Party of Socialists, the Party of Communists, the Heart of Moldova and the Future of Moldova parties are negotiating potential rallying on the For Moldova platform.