Physically impaired Turkish man climbs stairs on hand to vote

ISTANBUL

A physically impaired man has climbed up the stairs on his hands to vote in the referendum due to an elevator malfunction at a polling station in the Eyüp district of Istanbul. The man, whose name was not disclosed, said those who were responsible for failing to provide the service “should be ashamed.”

“They should be ashamed. Record this so people see it. The elevator at the Eyüp Silahtarağa Elementary School doesn’t work and they told me to call a repairman and make him fix it,” he said on April 16, as another man recorded the incident on his cellphone. 

Turkey is holding a referendum to decide whether to change the government system into an executive presidency with vastly enhanced powers for the president or to protect the current parliamentary system.

Meanwhile, visually impaired electorate cast their votes in the constitutional referendum for the first time alone with special ballot papers provided by the Supreme Election Board (YSK). Some 5,000 visually impaired voters will be able to vote without assistance on the papers designed by Boğaziçi University and Engelsiz Erişim Association. 

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, visually impaired Badegül Ünsal, who cast vote in Aksaray, said “everyone needs to vote for Turkey’s future.”

“Today we voted to carry out our civic duty,” she said, adding that “everyone needs to vote despite all difficulties.”