Kathmandu, April 23: Can the election of three governmental bodies take place within the next nine months or by Magha 7, 2074 BS of the Nepali calendar year?
The constitution attests to the risk involved as the failure to hold the elections of the local bodies, provincial assemblies and parliament will end the relevance of those holding the rein. The Constitution’s Article 84 stipulates provision on election of these bodies.
At an interactive programme on ‘Constitutional and Legal Provision on Local Election: Opportunities and Challenges’ held by Democracy and Election Support Academy here, speakers questioned as to what came in the way of the election of local body, which is known as the heart of democracy, in the backdrop of elections for the post of prime minister and presidential election taking place under the pretence of transitional arrangement.
The local bodies are without representatives since January 17, 2002. The local body elections were held May 28 and 31, 1992 and May 17 and 26 in 1997. The gap of 14 years without local body representatives has deprived 171,000 people’s representatives from participating in the development of their villages.
Academy Chairman and Former Chief Election Commissioner, Neel Kantha Upreti, called for Election Commission to take the lead in holding the local body elections. He urged the Civil Society to pressure the government to announce the date for elections.
Another former Chief Election Commissioner, Bhoj Raj Pokharel, said it was a challenge to coordinate the government, political parties and the EC on holding local body elections.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Dr Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said the EC is ready to conduct the local poll in an appropraite time, urging the goverment to fix the date for the same. The EC earlier requested the goverment to start the local election at least from the 14 earthquake-hit districts, but the voice fell on deaf ears, he complained.
Though the preparations for the local election are underway, the EC is in the state of ‘confusion’ as the goverment has not yet annoucned the date for the same.
It may be noted that a delegation from the EC called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli some three and half months ago, calling him to announce the date of the election of local bodies.
EC Commissioner Ila Sharma stressed that the constituion should endow the rights of determining the date of periodic elections to the Commission.
Commission Joint Secretary Basudev Guragain said EC needs at least 120 days to make the preparations for the election and weather too needs to be favourable for the same. So there is no possibility of holding the election within mid-June.
Constitution expert Bhimarjun Acharya presented a working paper at the programme, underlined the need of holding the local poll as soon as possible.
Commeting on the paper, political analysts Neelambar Acharya and Krishna Khanal suggested the goverment that the election of local bodies should be held even in the transition as of the eletions of the new President and the Prime Minister. RSS
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