Ministers Hajjar and Sayyed (second and third from the left) share the stage with representatives of the UNDP, the EU and the Union of the Disabled in Lebanon, during the launch of the Hakki campaign. (Credit: Sent by the Union of the Disabled in Lebanon)
The Hakki campaign, launched at each election deadline by the Union of the Disabled in Lebanon to ensure that people with special needs have access to polling stations, is likely to reach a new high this year. As the first stage of the municipal elections will be held on Sunday in Mount Lebanon, the Union once again launched its campaign at a press conference on Wednesday in Beirut in the presence of Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Social Affairs Minister Hanine al-Sayyed and representatives of international partner organizations. Against the backdrop of a major development, President Joseph Aoun has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as announced by Sylvana Lakkis, president of the Union.
Another progress in sight is a commitment promised by Minister Hajjar on "concrete measures" to improve the voting of people with reduced mobility. He specified, during the press conference, that the main measure will be to "place polling stations on the ground floor and appoint a body responsible for coordinating and following up on measures to be taken and obstacles to overcome." He does not deny that difficulties remain, especially given the very short time before the poll, but promises that a maximum of offices with disabled voters will be positioned on the lower floors.
This measure, which seems very modest, remains crucial for access to polling stations for people with disabilities. At each election, the humiliating spectacle of people being carried by candidates' or parties' delegates on the stairs of public schools serving as polling centers is repeated tirelessly. These behaviors are not only embarrassing for the disabled but also often place them at the mercy of those who help them move, who can influence the content of their vote.
Minister Hanine al-Sayyed welcomed the collaboration of her Ministry with that of the Interior: Her administration will have to provide lists of the names of disabled voters "in order to facilitate their participation in the elections and adapt their polling stations to their needs." After the ratification of the convention by the head of state, the Social Affairs Ministry will play a leading role in disseminating the concepts of this international text, she assured.
The executive director of the Union of the Disabled in Lebanon, Hanine Chamali, recalled the long history of this initiative, which has aimed, since 2005, to implement Law 220/2000 concerning the rights of the disabled. She emphasized that the mission of the Hakki campaign is not limited to claiming the electoral rights of disabled people but also involves sending observers to the field to record abuses against this category of the population, producing a report in the end. "Our goal is to encourage disabled voters to exercise their rights in full freedom," she assured.
Blerta Aliko, UNDP resident representative in Lebanon, the partner organization in the context of Hakki, considered that ensuring voting secrecy for people with disabilities is a basis for their participation in political life, even though the process is long. She expressed UNDP's willingness to participate in the development of Lebanese legislation following the signing of the convention.
For his part, Cyril Dewaleyne, deputy head of cooperation at the European Union Delegation in Lebanon, recalled that this organization's support for the Lebanese government in the field of inclusion of the disabled began in 2001. "There is no true democracy without including everyone, and the entrance of disabled people into public life begins with voting," he insisted.
The municipal elections are being held in Lebanon over three Sundays and a Saturday in May, with a three-year delay due to the country's successive crises.