Netherlands Forms Organisation to Combat Foreign Influence in Elections

Moscow (ANTARA) - The Netherlands is establishing a special organisation to systematically identify and combat foreign interference in general elections, while also introducing a new voting system, according to Dutch Minister of the Interior Pieter Heerma.

“I am working towards legislation and the formation of an organisation that can systematically detect manipulation and foreign information interference,” according to a quote from the minister’s letter to parliament, as reported by the NL Times.

A similar structure already exists in France, Germany, and Sweden, according to reports on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands is reported to have enhanced several strategies following reports of attempts to influence voters abroad through the dissemination of false information online during municipal elections.

Furthermore, the cabinet intends to transition to a new voting format starting in 2029: new ballots will only list parties and candidate numbers, without their names. This system has been successfully tested in several municipalities, according to the report.

In March, the broadcasting station Rijnmond reported that authorities in the Dutch city of Gorinchem had launched an investigation into alleged election fraud during municipal elections.