OSCE supports seminar for election observers on enhancing electoral rights of people with disabilities
ASTANA, 22 November 2016 – Election observers and Members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) took part today in Astana in an OSCE-supported training seminar on various aspects of the electoral rights of people with disabilities and the elderly.
Election experts taking part in the course, organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), shared relevant experiences from different countries with some 40 election observers and CEC members.
“OSCE participating States’ efforts to facilitate the right of people with physical, sensory and mental disabilities to vote is a key focus of ODIHR’s election observation activities,” said Radivoje Grujic, ODIHR Election Adviser, addressing seminar participants. “We welcome this seminar, which is designed to help authorities implement their commitments to ensure the electoral participation of these groups and protect their political and civil rights.”
“According to the World Health Organization, some 15 per cent of the world’s population lives with some form of a disability. It is important to facilitate their due participation in election processes to ensure practical realization of the principles of equality, universality, political pluralism and transparency of elections,” said György Szabó, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. “The role of observers is invaluable in this regard, to help promote international standards and principles for conducting elections.”
Bakhyt Meldeshov, Secretary of the Central Election Commission, noted that the electoral rights of people with disabilities and the elderly are “an important component of their Constitutional rights, and the observer’s task is to help safeguard all those exercising such rights.”
The event is part of the Office’s continuous efforts to enhance the transparency and accountability of electoral procedures and strengthen democratic institutions in accordance with the OSCE principles and commitments.