Many deaf, blind Moroccans and other people with disabilities urged political parties to improve accessibility during the September 2021 elections to avoid disenfranchising 6.8% of the population from the electoral process.
A Coalition for the defense of people with disabilities published a statement saying parties must put in place a package that would substantially increase accessibility to the electoral process, tabling proposals that include awareness campaigns, ballots in braille, and sign language interpreters.
“The memorandum of the Minister of Interior on the elections did not take into account people with disabilities,” Karim Al Sharqaoui told Hespress.
“The coalition, as usual, observes the elections, especially the aspect related to the political participation of persons with disabilities,” he added.
His coalition stresses political parties need to follow a human rights approach to involve people with disabilities in the political process, adopting objectivity in choosing programs – and warns against using disabled people to accumulate votes.
Morocco had signed in 2007 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities, ratifying the need to promote “their participation in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural spheres with equal opportunities, in both developing and developed countries.”
The constitution itself states that the government, through laws and regulations, “should care and rehabilitate persons with disabilities and special needs to reintegrate them into society.”
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