Almost a year after conducting the study aimed to assess the accessibility of all polling stations located in Hincesti District, INFONET Alliance revisited Hincesti Uninominal Constituency No. 38 to review again those 44 public buildings, which hosted repeated/new parliamentary elections on March 15, 2020, IPN reports.
The study was conducted on the Central Electoral Commission’s initiative with UNDP Moldova’s support. One more polling station has been added this year to those 43 public institutions inspected in June 2019. So far, none of the public institutions is fully accessible. Moreover, only five buildings are partly accessible (two more than in 2019), while the other 39 remain inaccessible. More than half of the public buildings assessed are education institutions, which usually host the polling stations.
According to a press release of UNDP Moldova, some progress has been recorded in terms of road accessibility, as new ramps have been built, in an appropriate and qualitative manner, and contrast colors have been added in the polling station halls and corridors. These changes were implemented mainly in the urban area. However, the lack of both hygiene conditions and accessibility of sanitary facilities is the most pressing challenge.
Victor Koroli, Executive Director of INFONET Alliance, said that over the last two years, the Hincesti local and district authorities demonstrated openness and understanding of the accessibility topic. Therefore, it was indeed important to assess the current situation and make a comparison, as well as to appreciate the actions taken locally and formulate recommendations for the way forward.
Vladimir Sarban, Deputy Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission, noted that the Central Electoral Commission will continue the dialogue and joint endeavors with local authorities so as this municipality becomes an example of equal access for all to polling stations. “The same applies to all public institutions throughout the country in the context of presidential elections to be held in autumn 2020,” he stated.
The study “Equal access for all to polling stations” has been developed in the framework of the “Enhancing democracy in Moldova through inclusive and transparent elections” project.
