• 25. June 2019
  • By:Eirik Norstein Danielsen

News

Secure democratic processes

Anne-Kari Valdal and Hermann Steen Wiencke from Proactima recently presented the contents of the report “Security in democratic processes in Norway”.

The report was ordered by the secretariat of the Election Act Commission (Ministry of Local Government and Modernization) and is part of the work regarding a new electoral law in Norway; an initiative under the auspices of the Government’s law committee. The report was presented to the Election Act Commission, which is chaired by the High Court Judge Ørnulf Røhnebæk.

“For us, it is inspiring to deliver such a comprehensive, well-worked-out and highly topical report. Secure elections are important for our democracy and we at Proactima are proud to contribute to the work of further developing security and maintaining trust in the election processes,” says CEO at Proactima, Trond Winther.

Extensive work

With increasing power, the theme is put on the public agenda, not least through news reports about influence of other states and the use of fake news. In the report, Proactima highlights various aspects of security in and around the election process, both through events and by illuminating various phenomena.

Not least, threats related to impact campaigns, digitization and cyber security are topical issues in the report. Furthermore, the report gives recommendations for topics to be looked closer into by the Election Act Commission.

Interdisciplinary team

An important part of the work has been to limit the scope and circle in and shed light on the most relevant topics. Proactima has used an interdisciplinary and highly competent team, which consists of four employees in Proactima as well as three external persons. The team has cutting-edge expertise in both cyber security, risk management, social security, politics and social understanding, intelligence and influence.

The team consists of: Anne-Kari Valdal (project manager, Proactima), Bjørg Sandal (Proactima), Chris Dale (NetSecurity), Hermann Steen Wiencke (Proactima), Svein Erik Tuastad (University of Stavanger), Trine Holo (Aeger) and Willy Røed (Proactima).

The assignment was awarded on October 26, 2018 and the report was handed over May 24 this year. The report is now presented to the Election Act Commission.

The Election Act Commission

The Election Act Commission will propose a new electoral law and consider changes to the electoral system. The Commission has a broad mandate and consists of several researchers and professionals in various fields as well as politicians. High Court Judge Ørnulf Røhnebæk heads the commission, which consists of 18 members. The electoral law shall ensure a democratic, secure and legitimate electoral system.

The commission will deliver their conclusions to the Ministry of Local Government and Modernization by the end of May 2020. If the commission proposes changes to the parts of the electoral system that are anchored in the Constitution, the amendments may enter into force from the parliamentary election in 2025.