FORGOT ABOUT THE INVALID ELECTORATE
A1+
01:29 pm | May 19, 2009
Representatives of 15 Yerevan-based NGOs involved in issues concerning
the invalid held a discussion with all representatives of political
parties running in the local self-governing elections in Yerevan today
and said that none of their pre-electoral platforms are accommodated
for the invalid.
"My life hasn’t changed fairly during the past years. There are some
slopes in one or two leisure sites and hotels, but there are not
even any accommodations for restrooms. There are some superficial
words stated in the platforms, but there are no approaches and
no guarantees," president of the "Unison" NGO involved in issues
concerning the invalid Armen Alaverdyan. He said that when their
NGO appealed to the CEC during the 2008 presidential elections to
receive ballots for the invalid, they were told that there are no
such voters. "They have crossed the threshold, yet there is still no
serious approach," he said.
President of the "Astghik" invalid children’s parents association
Levon Nersisyan says that the political parties had to think about
the invalid at least for their interests.
"There are no pseudo-translations and nobody is talking about this. It
seems as though there are no invalid people at all," he said, adding
that the invalid in Yerevan are a serious electorate. There are 59,700
people with special needs in Yerevan.
Among those present during the discussion was leader of the Armenian
Liberal Socialist Party, mayor candidate Movses Shahverdyan. He told
"A1+" that their pre-electoral platform includes a section on society
that features a "Yerevan suitable for all".
"This discussion goes to show how laws don’t function in practice
and it is clear that there are complaints from the mass. This is
not just a separate issue facing political parties," said NA Deputy
Sukias Avetisyan.
Member of the "Country of Law" party Henrik Bakunts talked about the
current issues from the angle of medical aid. The doctor of medical
sciences, who is running in the elections for Council of Elders,
said that they face additional problems for securing treatment
of the invalid that come to the hospital. During the discussion,
participants watched a film about the inadaptable conditions for the
handicapped in Yerevan. The entire discussion was recorded on tape
to remind political parties running in the elections about their
promises after the elections.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress