PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: 68 complaints about personal data breach and 11 questions

Announcement of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection regarding complaints during the pre-election period of the 2021 Parliamentary Elections

During the pre-election period of the May 2021 parliamentary elections, 68 complaints and 11 questions were submitted to my Office. Of the 68 complaints, 65 concerned receiving text messages, emails, or phone calls to promote political positions and candidacies, and were directed against both parties / party combinations as well as independent parliamentary candidates. The 3 concerned the presence of party representatives at polling stations during the elections.

Out of the 68 complaints, 11 have been forwarded to the Office of the Electoral Commissioner for handling due to competence, as the making of calls and the sending of messages were carried out after midnight on 28^th May 2021, a period during which political advertising was banned.

Of the 68 complaints so far, 59 have been processed as follows:

- The 18 complaints were deemed unfounded and / or the necessary information for their examination was not forwarded, and / or were withdrawn by the complainants themselves during their examination,

An administrative sanction was imposed for 25 complaints, and

- For 16 complaints, an administrative penalty of a fine of a total amount of € 23500 was imposed.

Decisions are pending for 9 complaints, which concern two candidates.