Romania Utilizes Blockchain For Presidential Election Vote Counting

According to Finbold, Romania's Permanent Electoral Authority (ROAP) is implementing blockchain technology to count and validate votes in the presidential election on November 24. This initiative was highlighted by Ovidiu Damian, a Romanian blockchain developer at Pi Squared, who shared the news on social media, emphasizing the role of blockchain in ensuring election integrity. The public can monitor the voting process through a live dashboard on ROAP's official website, where 83,859 blocks containing cryptographically verified votes have already been added to the blockchain. The Special Telecommunication Service (STS) of Romania also endorses the website alongside the electoral authority. Romania has been making significant strides in blockchain technology, with notable achievements such as the launch of an NFT trading platform by the European governmental institution ICI Decentralized Services in 2023. This platform was developed in collaboration with the MultiversX Foundation, utilizing the MultiversX (EGLD) blockchain. Additionally, in 2024, Romania's national news agency, Agerpres, published its first official news in NFT format, permanently recorded on the MultiversX blockchain. Blockchain enthusiast Andu Tabacu commented on these advancements, highlighting blockchain's potential as a "truth-machine" for ownership and validation. The creators of MultiversX, Beniamin Mincu, Lucian Mincu, and Lucian Todea, are Romanians, contributing to the country's growing reputation in the blockchain sector. MultiversX is considered a promising competitor to Ethereum, with experts recognizing its growth potential. Analysts have praised its fundamentals and technological innovations, such as sharding, which Justin Bons, founder and CIO of Europe's oldest cryptocurrency fund, described as the "technological Holy Grail of crypto." Andrei Sobolev and other analysts have expressed optimism about EGLD's potential, citing its development ecosystem and community support. Recently, Alibaba Cloud announced a partnership with MultiversX as it expands into the Asian market. Startups are also leveraging the L1 blockchain's infrastructure to develop innovative solutions. This recent use of blockchain in Romania's election process could set a new standard for government elections globally, enhancing transparency and data immutability. The potential for projects developing robust and scalable solutions using blockchain technology is increasing, marking a significant step forward in the application of this technology in public governance.