MADRID (AP) — Spain's prime minister says whoever wins the upcoming general election in the country should launch a national cybersecurity plan to combat attempts to undermine democracy and citizens' trust in the political system.

The country's April 28 general election is seen as a testing ground for new measures that the European Union is adopting to shield elections to the European Parliament a month later.

"We need to protect Europe in order for Europe to be able to protect its citizens," Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday during a visit to the national institute for cybersecurity, or INCIBE, in the northern province of León.

Last month, Spain established a special high-level unit to coordinate the fight against cyberattacks and misinformation, which Sánchez says equates to attacks on "the quality of democracy."