Dismissing the doubts that constituent assembly polls may be delayed due to time constraint, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has directed the Election Commission (EC) to intensify preparation for holding the polls within the stipulated time.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala talking to Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula after the meeting with Election Commission (EC) officials, Monday, Mar 19 07. nepalnews.com/ia

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala talking to Home Minister Krishna Prasad…
At a discussion held by the EC in its office on Monday with senior leaders of all political parties representing in the Legislative Parliament, Prime Minister Koirala said if the polls were not held on time the country would slide into being a ‘failed state’ and the ability of the eight parties and the EC itself would be questioned.

“Not only Girija Prasad as a person but also the Nepali people, the eight parties and the nation would become a failure if the polls are not held,” he said.

“The government and the parties are ready to provide everything the EC needs to hold the polls,” he asserted.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Election Commission (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokhrel said delay in formulating the laws has put a question mark on timely holding of the election. He demanded that the government announce the polls date only after passing all necessary laws, code of conduct for the contesting parties and their candidates, finalise the area and number of constituencies, solve all other prevailing problems regarding the election and guarantee the security for free and fair polls.

Pokhrel also demanded that all protests and strikes be put aside after the announcement of the polls date.

The parliament has passed only one law necessary for CA polls while other five still remain under discussion at the State Affairs Committee of the parliament.

General secretary of the UML Madhav Kumar Nepal stressed the need for finalising all laws immediately while Maoist chairman Prachanda said the government, parties and the commission need to work on war footing to hold the polls on scheduled time. NC (D) president Sher Bahadur Deuba drew attention of the government to improve the security situation.

Talking to Nepalnews after the discussion, Nepali Congress general secretary Ram Chandra Poudel said the election would surely be held on time if all parties supported the government in maintaining security in the country. “The EC has expressed much concern about the prevailing insecurity but it was positive to hold polls on time if security situation improved,” he said.

Similarly, president of Left Front C.P Mainali told Nepalnews that all the parties are committed to hold the election in time and shared his confidence that all laws related to it would be passed from the parliament at the earliest.

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula told reporters that government was serious towards resolving the existing insecurity and unstable condition. He quoted Prime Minister Koirala as saying that government could appoint another person to replace Ram Nagina Singh if he did not wish to remain as the chief of Constituency Delineation Commission. Government had appointed Singh as the chairman of the commission but he rejected the post saying the government did not consult with him before the appointment.

The EC has pointed out that election programmes need to be published by the end of April to make the polls possible by mid June. The commission also informed the leaders that it required time to print the ballot papers, which are printed abroad due to security reasons.

Code of conduct for the parties and many other directives are yet to be drafted. The EC said drafting the directives and regulations is possible only after the finalisation of the laws, as they need to be guided by the legal provisions.

The commission has also expressed concern over the delay in finalising the constituencies based on which the commission has to appoint chief election officials and other officials for election purposes. Despite earlier agreement of the eight parties that the CA would have 425 members elected through mixed election system, the amendment in the interim constitution after the Terai unrest has made provision for 49 percent Teraian occupancy in the CA and the number of seats in the assembly has not been determined.

The government has not started working on delineation of the constituencies.

The EC has said it needs at least two months for registration of the parties and re-registration for election purposes. Bill on registration of the political parties is under discussion at the parliament.

The EC has also asked the parties to make it clear whether two types of ballot papers would be dropped in the same ballot box or separate boxes. The interim constitution has given the temporary voters the right to vote only for proportional representation.

On the other hand, the voters’ registration process is yet to be completed.

The commission estimated a total of Rs 2.25 billion budget for election purposes and another Rs 980 million in the peace trust. It has also cited lack of human resources.

Along with the eight-party leaders, RPP chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rama and RJP chairman Surya bahadur Thapa were also present in the meeting.