Observers from among disabled persons will oversee elections. ELECTIONS 2015

03.06.2015 14:29
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The Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities trained 16 national observers from among persons with disabilities, who will supervise the election campaign and the June 14 local elections in different settlements. The observers were trained within the project “Participation of persons with disabilities from Moldova in the political and public life”.

In a news conference at IPN, project director Olga Cenusa said the project includes the training of observers for the June 14 local elections, monitoring of the elections and compilation of a report that will be used to carry out an analysis about the observance of the disabled persons’ right to vote. The given analysis will help set the future steps.

Victor Koroli, expert who will help draw up the report on the observance of the right to vote of the persons with disabilities in the 2015 local elections, said the monitoring will be performed based on two questionnaires. One is intended for the national observers who will supervise the elections in different settlements, while the other one for persons with disabilities from the monitored communities. Before the elections, the observers will analyze the ways of access to the polling places, namely the road infrastructure, and the access to polling places through ramps for wheelchair users, and if candidates’ platforms are accessible to the persons with disabilities.

The observers will also monitor the voting process within possibilities. Victor Koroli said in the November 30, 2014 elections, only 18 of the 265 polling places established in the municipality of Chisinau were adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities. In villages the situation is worse.

Within the monitoring, the observers will collect data about the type of disability of the persons as there are now no such data, but the needs of these persons are very different, depending on disability.

Victor Koroli noted that the goal of the project is to formulate a series of recommendations for the local and central public authorities concerning equal access to the electoral process.