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He National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) affirmed that the Chilean State is not respecting the right to vote by marginalizing those infected with COVID from the plebiscite, and called on the Government, Congress and the Electoral Service to seek mechanisms to allow the participation of all citizens on October 25.
“The right to political participation is widely guaranteed in international human rights law and it is the responsibility of the State of Chile, its authorities, agencies and services to take the necessary measures to allow its effective exercise,” says an NHRI statement.
🔴 Declaration of the NHRI Council: Human Right to Suffrage https://t.co/2J7Lh0bPf4
– NHRI Chile (inddhh) September 10, 2020
“Our current constitutional framework, for its part, assures all who have the status of citizen the right to vote as a concrete form of participation, specifically establishing the grounds on which their suspension or loss can be justified, grounds that, given its nature must be interpreted restrictively “, he adds.
“It is clear that in the current state of pandemic that affects us, and the unforeseen and exceptional circumstances caused by its rapid expansion, it is reasonable that the exercise of the right to vote by those affected by COVID-19 in the next electoral events It may be subject to modalities that also ensure the right of the rest of the citizens to exercise it on their part in safety conditions, without putting the health of others at risk. But such restrictions, as appropriate when it comes to human rights, must be necessary, adequate and proportionate.“, he adds.
“In such terms, as the State of Chile we are not complying with international obligations and with the provisions of domestic law, to the extent that the right to vote of those affected by the pandemic is prevented, instead of adopting the necessary measures so that they can do so with due consideration to such circumstance, “he warns.
In addition, it affirms that “the foregoing is also applicable with respect to other groups, such as those who, being deprived of liberty, maintain their status as citizens with the right to vote, or other people who, subject to restrictions in their mobility, do not have alternative mechanisms that allow them to cast their votes and exercise their right to political participation. “
“Because of the above, we call on the competent public authorities, especially the Electoral Service, as well as the Executive and Legislative Power, to seek and implement the most suitable mechanisms that allow everyone to ensure their right to vote and political participation in the electoral bodies that the country will face during the next year, in which we will define the future of our Republic “, concludes the INDH.
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