ODIHR consults with stakeholders on e-voting proposals in Tajikistan
Following a visit to Tajikistan in February, ODIHR provided comments on 9 March to the country’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) on the proposed introduction of e-voting in the country. The visit followed a request from the CCER for support from the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in implementing electronic voting.
The ODIHR team visited Dushanbe from 21 to 23 February, where they met with the CCER to discuss the proposals in detail. They also met with the Presidential Administration, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, civil society, political parties, international delegations and embassies, and also visited polling-station locations in Dushanbe and Kurghan-Tube. As a result of the consultations, the ODIHR team suggested that the current circumstances were unfavourable for the introduction of e-voting in Tajikistan.
The team noted that the CCER had recognized several important features of initiating an e-voting project, including the need to train polling-station workers, to educate voters on new voting methods, to take a gradual approach involving pilot cities, and to address concerns over a consistent power supply.
However, a wide range of challenges were identified that would inhibit the implementation of e-voting in Tajikistan. In particular, this included gaps in planning, limited infrastructure, high costs, low levels of familiarity with information and communication technology, a lack of trust in institutions by some electoral stakeholders, as well as the lack of an inclusive approach to developing proposals.
Furthermore, fundamental aspects of e-voting were not fully considered, including the provision of a paper trail, certification, the testing and audit of systems, accessibility of the source code, and potential implications on the legal framework.
The ODIHR team encouraged the reform of electoral legislation in line with the ODIHR's final report on the 2010 parliamentary elections, including the removal of undue restrictions on candidate eligibility and the provision of more inclusive lower-level election commissions. ODIHR stands ready to support the electoral reform process by providing expert advice.