Belarus presents developments on election information security in Georgia

MINSK, 19 June (BelTA) - The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus presented its developments in information security of electoral campaigns at the 13th annual meeting of election organizers in Georgia, the CEC told BelTA.

During the meeting, representatives of electoral bodies shared advanced international practices for countering modern digital challenges, analyzing in detail disinformation strategies, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, and the influence of social networks on the integrity and transparency of information. Belarus’ CEC, represented by Secretary Yelena Baldovskaya, actively joined the discussion. She presented to foreign colleagues Belarus’ developments and practical solutions for ensuring information security during electoral campaigns.

“Belarus has experience in resisting destructive influence and defending electoral and state sovereignty. In August 2020, during and after the presidential election, we experienced various methods and tools of pressure on the electoral system and the organization of protests. Through social networks and messaging platforms, disinformation was spread with the aim of discrediting the authorities, the electoral system, and the election results long before they were announced,” the secretary said.

According to her, the experience of 2020 made it necessary to introduce protective measures at the legislative level. Amendments were made to the Constitution and the Electoral Code aimed at safeguarding electoral sovereignty.

Among these measures, Yelena Baldovskaya listed the constitutional ban on financing election preparation and conduct by foreign states, organizations, or foreign citizens; changes to eligibility requirements for candidates; removal of the requirement to publish personal data of commission members in open sources; discontinuation of voting abroad; a ban on photographing or filming completed ballots and taking ballots outside polling stations; and the introduction of procedures for declaring elections unconstitutional or illegitimate.