The October local elections are not inclusive, according to an analysis report published by the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections umbrella organization, which shows that people with disabilities and Roma are particularly underrepresented in the electoral process.
Ion Duminică, expert with the “Voice of the Roma” Coalition, told a news conference at IPN that of the total 250,000 candidates running in the local elections there are only 50 Roma ethnics, and only 16 of them are women. Ion Duminică also says that the problems faced by Roma people are not reflected in electoral competitors’ manifestos. According to Duminică, the 2015 local elections in were historic because for the first time two Roma women became local councilors.
Victor Korol, executive director of the NGO Infonet, said that there is a reduced participation among persons with disabilities as electoral competitors in the current elections. Only 11 joined the electoral battle of the total 170,000 people with disabilities living Moldova. According to Korol, people with disabilities are having difficulty accessing electoral information. The services of the only publishing house using the Braille system has not been requested by any electoral competitor. Also, only 1% of the number of polling stations ensure the infrastructural access of people with disabilities.
Polina Panainte, secretary of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, said that the issues of these two groups of citizens, Roma people and people with disabilities, are rarely if at all addressed during meetings with voters.
The report was published as part of the project called “Civil Society’s Plea for Free and Fair Elections in Moldova, in line with EU and OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and human rights commitments.” The project is implemented by the East-European Foundation, in partnership with the Partnership Center for Development, Piligrim Demo and Tarna Rom, funded by the EU and co-financed by Sweden.
