The Central Election Commission (CEC) is working in close coordination with the State Agency for Digital Affairs (VDAA) to ensure that no further disruptions occur in the municipal election system in the coming days, CEC Chairwoman Kristīne Saulīte stated in an interview with TV3’s “900 Sekundes”.
She confirmed that the disruptions observed on Monday evening were resolved by midnight and expressed hope that similar issues would not recur. At the same time, Saulīte acknowledged that the election system is new, and therefore “such small glitches are to be expected.”
It is crucial, she emphasized, to identify and resolve all shortcomings by Saturday, when a higher turnout of voters is expected, along with the counting of ballots.
The CEC chairwoman expressed hope that the unprecedented opportunity to vote at various times over five days before election day will increase voter participation in these municipal elections. She urged everyone to check their identification documents, choose the most convenient polling station in their municipality, and go vote.
As reported, on Monday evening the functioning of the election system was disrupted, Riga City Election Commission Chairman Māris Zviedris told the LETA news agency.
Meanwhile, CEC Head of Public Relations Andrejs Vaivars declined to comment on the disruptions, stating that the VDAA is responsible for the election systems used in this election.
VDAA Director Jorens Liops told LETA that after the provisional voter activity data for the first day were published, it became clear that temporary technical disruptions delayed the uploading of election activity data into the system. The causes were identified and resolved, Liops said, without specifying the nature of the disruptions.
Zviedris noted that he had previously expressed concerns about the readiness of the election system, which, unfortunately, had come true.
As previously reported, early voting in the municipal elections began Monday afternoon.
According to the CEC, 1.85% of eligible voters—or 25 511 people—cast their ballots during the first day of early voting.
Early voting will continue at different times on weekdays throughout this week, with the municipal elections taking place on Saturday.