Votes of disabled persons are paper planes following wind

Persons with lomotion and visual impairments protested Thursday in front of the Palace of the Republic, where the MPs come together for sittings, to demand that their right to vote be guaranteed. They complained that they cannot enter the polling places because they do not have wheelchair access and the doors and lifts are too narrow. The protesters placed an improvised ballot box in front of the Palace of the Republic and tried to throw paper planes representing ballots into it, from a distance of several meters, but did not manage to, Info-Prim Neo reports. Mariana Matfei, PR coordinator of the Association “Motivatie” (“Motivation”), said the drive was aimed at attracting the authorities’ attention to the necessity of ensuring the voting rights of the persons with disabilities. “We tried to throw ballots into the box, but all in vain. None of them entered the box. We need accessibility and want to be integrated into the Moldovan society,” said Mariana Matfei. According to the Association, there are about 170,000 disabled persons of voting age in Moldova. Many of them cannot vote because the polling places are situated in inaccessible places,” said Mariana Matfei. Mariana Mardari, who is confined to a wheelchair, said she goes to cast her vote only accompanied by an assistant. “We came here to demand ease of access for the persons with disabilities. I always go to vote, but every time encounter difficulties. The door is too narrow or the table in the polling booth is too high and I cannot reach the ballot,” said Mariana Mardari. The Association “Motivatie” was supported by other NGOs, including Amnesty International, Promo Lex and the Center of Legal Assistance for People with Disabilities.