The Central Election Commission hosted a workshop for election 

organisers on ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities

A training workshop was held at the Central Election Commission with the participation of members of the Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan for election organisers. The workshop was also attended by representatives of akims’ administrations and heads of employment and social programs, chairmen and secretaries of territorial election commissions of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital of the Republic, as well as international observers. 

The purpose of the workshop was to explain the peculiarities of organising access to polling stations on voting day for persons with disabilities (with impaired vision, hearing, functions of the musculoskeletal system) and the interaction of members of precinct election commissions with persons with disabilities. 

The event was moderated by member of the Central Election Commission, Anastassiya Schegortsova. In her report, she drew attention of election commissions and local executive bodies to their competence to ensure conditions for voting of persons with disabilities, as well as the measures taken by the CEC to ensure the electoral rights of women with disabilities. 

Within the workshop on the ethics of interaction between members of precinct election commissions with persons with disabilities on the voting day, member of the Working Group, deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lyazzat Kaltayeva spoke. 

On the provision of conditions for persons with disabilities with impaired functions of the musculoskeletal system at the polling stations on the voting day, the members of the Working Group, chairman of the Centre for Support of Paralyzed Citizens of Aktobe NGO Kuralai Baimenova, and chairman of the Union of Persons with Disabilities of Akmola Region Birlik Union of Legal Entities Ramazan Mukatayev spoke. 

Members of the Working Group, President of the Central Board of the Republican Public Association of the Kazakhstan Society of the Deaf Sailaugul Omarkhanova, as well as director of the public fund Centre for Support of the Deaf Disabled Persons Umit Amanbike Yergaliyeva informed the workshop participants about the provision of conditions at polling stations on voting day for people with hearing impairments. 

Meirbek Nusipbayev, a member of the Working Group, Deputy Chairman of the Kazakh Society of the Blind Public Association, spoke about ensuring conditions for visually impaired people at polling stations on voting day. 

Within the framework of the workshop on measures to ensure the accessibility of polling stations for persons with disabilities on voting day, head of the employment and social protection department of Astana Ilya Skuba, as well as deputy of the maslikhat of Taraz, chairman of the Youth Society of the Disabled NGO, member of the National kurultai at the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aigerim Dauletbayeva spoke as well.  

Members of the Working Group, together with members of the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, have prepared a Leaflet for members of precinct election commissions on ensuring conditions for voting for persons with disabilities, which will be posted on the website of the CEC and sent to the regions. 

Concluding the workshop, Anastassiya Schegortsova stressed that precinct election commissions and local executive bodies should take all necessary measures to implement the electoral rights of citizens with disabilities.