In the Republic of Moldova, in order for the elections to be as inclusive as possible for Roma people and for persons with disabilities, concrete commitments are needed at the level of the electoral contenders. Alina Andronache, in charge of Public Relations and Advocacy at the Partnership Center for Development, mentioned at an IPN press conference, in the context of presenting a report on the inclusion at the elections of October 20, that "accessibility to all areas of public and private life must be a priority of local and central administration as well as political parties”.
Alina Andronache is of the opinion that "when we, as a society, will regard people with disabilities and those of Roma ethnicity as people with equal rights, next to us, we will probably have on the lists of candidates in elections more representatives of these categories of citizens”. In her opinion, "maybe then their interests will be heard and probably the problems they face will be solved".
According to Alina Andronache, "only 12 Roma people and nine persons with disabilities, elected local councillors, are very few and it is regrettable that those who come to governance ignore a considerable part of the society". "When one is committed to promoting the interests of all citizens, it means promoting the interests of citizens who represent minorities, not just the interests of the majority," stressed Alina Andronache.
Ion Duminică, expert of the "Voice of the Roma" Coalition, has said that the Roma people want their problems to be integrated on the local agenda of mayor offices, district and local councils. At the same time, it is necessary to evaluate the degree of social-economic marginalization of this group of people and to identify the causes that generate these problems.
Victor Koroli, expert on inclusion policies for people with disabilities and executive director of Infonet Alliance, has mentioned that for the next elections, the following issues should be addressed starting from today: the presence of persons with disabilities on the party lists, the perception of people with disabilities that exists in the society, last but not least, the accessibility to polling stations and electoral platforms.
"These are processes that must be analysed in all their complexity. Although there are several positive developments and indicators, there are still many shortcomings as regards achieving the inclusion of people with disabilities in the electoral processes,” emphasized Victor Koroli.
The report "How inclusive were the general local elections on October 20, 2019" was developed under the project "Civil society’s pleading for free and fair elections in the Republic of Moldova, in line with EU and OSCE / ODIHR recommendations and human rights commitments". The project is implemented by the East Europe Foundation, in partnership with the Partnership Center for Development, Piligrim Demo and Tarna Rom, funded by the EU and co-financed by Sweden.