Forgot about the invalid electorate
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.
