Skopje, 12 August 2021 (MIA) – The State Election Commission (SEC) has signed the contract with German company “Dermalog” over the procurement of fingerprint scanners and their maintenance for the next four election cycles. The contract is worth about EUR 11 million, with the first 250 scanners to be used for the October 17 local elections set to arrive on August 25, says SEC President Aleksandar Dashtevski in an interview with MIA. Dashtevski says the contract also includes additional equipment, spare parts and servicing for the next four years. “According to the contract, the company will be present with 150 or more engineers, and it will also hire contractors and subcontractors that will provide support and logistics in the country,” says Dashtevski. Manuals will also be drafted for the electoral boards and about 7,000 people will be trained to use the scanners. ‘Dermalog’ employees will also fill and retrieve data from the scanners. “They will have to align their software with ours and download the numbers by polling station,” notes Dashtevski. The scanners will not be linked to the internet and personal data safety is guaranteed. “The Ministry of Interior has provided the personal data, which is encrypted and no one can open them,” adds Dashtevski. ‘Dermalog’ engineers will be present on Election Day and provide any service if necessary. “At the end of the day,, electoral boards will take the scanners and encrypted data will be transferred back to the MoI,” says the SEC chief.