The management of bomb threats at polling stations in the Republic of Moldova, during the parliamentary elections of September 28, 2025, is presented as an example of good practice in an international report prepared by International IDEA and the Electoral Integrity Project on electoral violence and ways to prevent it. The document highlights the measures adopted by the Central Electoral Commission to ensure the security of voters and the continuity of the electoral process, despite the threats, reports IPN.
According to the report, the elections took place in a strongly polarized climate, marked by hybrid threats, including disinformation, illegal financing, cyber incidents, and false bomb alerts at polling stations across the country and abroad. These could intimidate voters, reduce voter turnout, and disrupt the conduct of the vote, especially in the case of the sections intended for voters from the Transnistrian region and those from the diaspora.
With the support of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the CEC has revised its approach to managing electoral risks. The report mentions that the institution has conducted an assessment of the existing system and organized workshops with representatives of the district electoral councils and the Commission staff, following which a registry of the main risks for parliamentary elections was developed.
In preparation for the vote, coordinated bomb threats were assessed as a high probability risk with a potential major impact on the integrity of the elections. To manage this, the CEC has developed a standard operating procedure for crisis situations in polling stations and has created an inter-institutional working group, with the participation of law enforcement bodies and security institutions.
The procedure involved a clear sequence of actions: receiving the threat, evacuating people and securing sensitive materials, verifying the alert and resuming voting or activating backup solutions. In parallel, the CEC quickly informed the public through the website and social networks, in order to limit the spread of rumors and maintain confidence in the electoral process.
On the day of the parliamentary elections, on September 28, 2025, several bomb threats were reported at polling stations designated for voters from the Transnistrian region, as well as at stations in Belgium, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the United States. The alerts caused delays and queues, but did not lead to the cessation of the voting process, according to the report.
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