Improved access for people with disabilities in Moldova: 30 ramps to be installed in public institutions hosting polling stations

A total of 30 access ramps will be built during 2025–2026 in public institutions that host polling stations. The initiative is implemented by the INFONET Alliance, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), with support from the governments of Norway, Sweden, Canada and Denmark.

The ramps are being built in public buildings, such as schools and community cultural centres, so that throughout the year, people with disabilities and all residents can have access to education and other opportunities. Later, when elections are held, these institutions will become polling stations and the ramps will facilitate access and the exercise of the right to vote for all citizens.

“Ensuring the genuine accessibility of the electoral process is a constant priority for the CEC. The installation of access ramps in polling stations is a concrete step through which we reaffirm our commitment to guaranteeing all citizens, including persons with reduced mobility, the full and unhindered exercise of their right to vote. At the same time, it is essential that the society as a whole is made aware and acts consistently to ensure access to all public institutions, not only on election day,” said CEC Secretary Dana Munteanu.

The total value of the investment is 2,120,000 dollars.

“Such initiatives help create more accessible and inclusive communities for everybody. Accessibility is about people and their everyday lives. It should not depend only on individual projects, but must become a standard integrated into the way public infrastructure is planned, financed and maintained. We will continue working together, in order to ensure equal opportunities for people,” said Seher Ariner, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Moldova.

The need for these investments is confirmed by the results of the national assessment of polling station accessibility, carried out in 2025 by the INFONET Alliance with support from UNDP. According to the analysis, only 112 polling stations out of a total of 1,974 are accessible. A number of 567 stations, or less than one third, are partially accessible, while 1,295, or more than two thirds, remain inaccessible.

The 2022 assessment found that only 18 stations, or 0.89 per cent, were fully accessible, 551, or 27 per cent, were partially accessible, and approximately 72 per cent were inaccessible.

Thus, the 2025 data show more than a sixfold increase in the number of fully accessible stations, from 18 to 112. At the same time, the share of inaccessible stations decreased from about 72 per cent to 65 per cent, while the proportion of partially accessible stations remained relatively constant, at 27 per cent in 2022 compared to 29 per cent in 2025.