In a significant development, the Election Commission (EC) has announced dates for municipal level elections.
In a statement issued Sunday—the last working day before the Dashain holidays start– the Commission said voting will take place to choose office-bearers of all 58 municipalities across the country on February 8, next year.
The Commission said election process for the same will start some two weeks in advance.
Earlier, during a meeting with the EC, senior officials had assured that the government would make adequate security arrangements to hold elections for the municipalities.
Elections for the parliament as well as for the local bodies are due in Nepal for the last three years.
Reactions from the seven-party opposition alliance, that is protesting the royal takeover on February 1 this year, were not immediately available. Earlier, the alliance had said it would boycott all type of elections conducted by the royal government unless the country returns to democracy.
During his new year message (mid-April 2005), His Majesty King had announced that his government would hold elections for the municipalities within a year.