Tag: News

The Constitution and legislation of Uzbekistan on elections guarantee equality of rights and freedoms of all citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan, including those who, due to their physical condition, have certain difficulties in exercising their rights

In February 2009, Uzbekistan signed the UN International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. According to the provisions of article 29 of the Convention, "States Parties guarantee persons with disabilities the right and opportunity to vote and be elected and undertake to ensure the full participation of this category of citizens in the electoral process, using procedures, premises and voting materials that are sufficiently suitable, accessible and easy for them to understand and use."

It is important to take into account that voting for disabled people is not only their desire and right, but also a rare opportunity to feel like full–fledged members of society.

In order to determine the tasks and ways to solve them in the work of election commissions at all levels to ensure the creation of the most convenient conditions for citizens with disabilities to exercise their electoral rights, the Uzbek Society of Disabled People and members of the Advisory Council of Public Organizations of Disabled People at NANNOUz, in April 2014, developed and submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan:

In order to determine the tasks and ways to solve them in the work of election commissions at all levels to ensure the creation of the most convenient conditions for citizens with disabilities to exercise their electoral rights, the Uzbek Society of Disabled People and members of the Advisory Council of Public Organizations of Disabled People at NANNOUz, in April 2014, developed and submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan:

"Recommendations on ensuring the exercise of the electoral rights of citizens with disabilities during national elections."

1. Polling station buildings should be equipped with ramps and railings convenient for wheelchair users.

2. If the entrance to the building where the voting room is located is not equipped with special devices for the entrance of voters with impaired functions of the musculoskeletal system, visually impaired and wheelchair users, election commissions must apply to local self-government bodies, territorial bodies of social protection of the population with a request to resolve the issue of installing ramps, handrails, etc. When carrying out work on the installation of the above-mentioned special devices, it must be borne in mind that they must comply with the current building codes and regulations (SNiP).To verify compliance with the specified standards of special equipment, pedestrian paths, it is recommended to create a working group, which should include members of the election commission, representatives of public organizations of disabled people, and local governments.

3. For the convenience of the will of wheelchair users, special booths for secret voting should be installed at polling stations. They should differ from the usual ones by wider walls and a low table. A wheelchair should easily enter such cabins. The equipment in the voting room (tables, booths and voting boxes) should be located in such a way as to ensure accessibility for voters with disabilities who use wheelchairs or have difficulty moving.

4. For blind and visually impaired citizens, information on the political parties participating in the elections, on registered candidates for deputies, on the procedure for filling out ballots, made in large font and (or) using relief-dot Braille, should be placed on the information stand.Taking into account the needs of this category of voters, optical correction devices (magnifying glasses, illuminated magnifiers, etc.), additional lighting, chairs should be placed in polling booths for secret voting.

5. Election commissions, when preparing work plans for information support of elections in order to increase the availability of information, should provide for the necessary measures to inform voters who are disabled.

6. Informing voters who are disabled is carried out using various ways to ensure unhindered access to information, which are determined taking into account the category of disability.

Election commissions are recommended to provide information to visually impaired voters:

-to provide for the use of the capabilities of the radio broadcasting network;

- prepare releases of information materials in audio format (on digital media) about the course of the election campaign (time and place of voting, main electoral actions, contacts), political parties participating in the elections, candidates for the position of deputies, voting procedure, the procedure for filling out the ballot and other procedures;

-to provide for the possibility of preparing informational issues of publications (leaflets) printed in an enlarged font, convenient for reading, as well as using relief-dot Braille;

– to use the possibilities of the information and telecommunication network, including the official websites of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, territorial election commissions, for the placement of information materials intended for the visually impaired.

-in order to familiarize blind citizens with information about elections, use the technical capabilities of libraries for the blind, the resources of public organizations with visual disabilities that have special equipment (typhoon equipment), on which computer screen access programs are installed that convert text files into sound. If possible, the information can be transmitted using cellular communication by sending SMS messages, which are converted when they are received by the user into a voice signal;

-- to provide specialized libraries for the visually impaired with the necessary information materials produced by election commissions and adapted for this category of voters.

Election commissions are recommended to provide information to deaf and hard of hearing voters during election campaigns:

– use textual transmission of election information by means of facsimile and mobile communications (SMS messages);

-when interacting with the mass media, provide for the use of sign language translation or subtitled broadcasts in preparation for the broadcast of various thematic programs and broadcasts of news releases, including videos about the preparation and conduct of elections.

Election commissions are recommended to provide information to wheelchair users during election campaigns:

--Visual information about elections in public places should be arranged so that voters who are wheelchair users can get acquainted with it without additional effort.

7. It is necessary that the CEC recommends that political parties participating in elections pay special attention to information work with this category of voters and prepare campaign materials in audio format, printed campaign materials in large font and braille, and for deaf or hard of hearing voters – campaign materials (videos) with subtitles or sign language translation for blind and visually impaired voters.

8. In order to take into account the needs of voters with disabilities, it is necessary that the Pension Fund of Uzbekistan, providing the CEC territorial election commissions, information on the number of electors with disabilities, indicating the disability groups as of January 1 and July 1 of each year.

9. In particular, when organizing the voting of visually impaired voters, it is proposed to develop special stencils with slots in place of squares in the ballot papers for putting a sign along the lines of placement of the names of political parties, registered candidates, made in relief-dot Braille, for self-filling in the ballot papers at polling stations.

10. Election commissions, when equipping polling stations and polling facilities, are advised to take into account that disabled people participate in elections on equal terms with other citizens, but special conditions must be created for them to allow them to exercise their rights in full. It should also be borne in mind that personal visits by disabled people to polling stations, communication with members of election commissions, the use of technical means for voting have a beneficial effect on their integration into society and serve as a good incentive for an active social life.

Isakov Oybek.

Uzbek Society of the Disabled.

May 2014