ZAGREB, June 30, 2020 - The GONG election monitoring NGO on Tuesday warned that people infected with the coronavirus will not have the right to vote because the State Electoral Commission has not allowed them to vote from home while at the same time it has allowed this for people in self-isolation even though they too pose a risk.
GONG underscored that this is a denial of a fundamental political and constitutional right.
"This inconsistency leads to the question of the necessity and the ability of the measure to achieve its primary goal of protecting lives and health. The infection could in theory be spread also by people in self-isolation, hence the question is, has the right for those infected been unreasonably restricted," GONG said in a press release.
GONG added that the public had to know on the basis of which law have those infected with coronavirus been stripped of their right to vote given that Croatian law does not recognise the category of stripping someone of their right to vote, hence the procedure to do so is not prescribed.
"Seeing that the law does not foresee voting in hospitals, all citizens being treated in hospitals, not just those suffering from coronavirus, will be stripped of their constitutional right to vote," GONG underlined.
GONG advocates establishing polling stations at all hospitals and care facilities as well as introducing postal votes so as to avoid any discrimination.
