The Independent Election Commission and the United Nations Commission discuss enabling persons with disabilities to exercise the right to vote and stand for election
08 September 2022
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) discussed with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities at the United Nations, in the presence of members of the Board of Commissioners Ammar Al-Husseini and Dr. Abeer Dababneh, the mechanism to enable persons with disabilities to exercise their right to vote and to be elected, with the aim of understanding the extent to which this group enjoys their rights and the measures taken to achieve them.
The Commission made a presentation in which it indicated its keenness to take all necessary measures to facilitate the participation ofpersons with disabilities in the elections and to overcome all obstacles that may hinder the process of their participation, through its relevant executive instructions.
The Commission indicated that it worked in the previous elections to equip polling stations equipped with special corridors designed for people with disabilities, choose the basements to be their own polling stations, and identify parking places commensurate with their abilities, after a field survey of polling and counting centers in all electoral districts in the Kingdom.
The Commission also explained that special awareness materials directed topeople with disabilities, such as Braille, were adopted, in addition to placing sign language in electronic versions on awareness videos, through cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which contributed to expanding the base of their participation in the electoral process.
The delegation appreciated the efforts made by theenvironment to enable the category of persons with disabilities to exercise their right to vote and to be elected.
