Uncertainty looms over Nepal polls
27 March 2013 7:48 AM IST
Casting doubts over the 21 June deadline for polls, Nepal’s newly-appointed electoral chief has asked the government to set a ‘realistic’ polling date to avoid any postponement of the long-delayed Constituent Assembly elections.
A day after assuming the leadership of the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Uprety called upon political parties to help create a conducive atmosphere for elections. Talking to a national daily, he pointed out that the government should fix a ‘realistic’ election date instead of any decision that would lead to the postponement of the polls to the 601-seat Constituent Assembly.
The Chief Election Commissioner’s statement comes amid speculation that the elections, which the four major political forces agreed to conduct by 21 June in the 11-point agreement signed on 13 March, might be postponed till November. Talking to The Kathmandu Post on Monday, Uprety informed that the commission would soon submit a time-frame it requires for electoral preparation and expressed hope that a realistic voting date would be decided by the government.
‘With only 70-75 days at our hands, we are not in an easy situation. Rather than frustrating people by announcing the date of election and postponing it at the last moment, I hope we will take an intelligent decision,’ he said.
A day after assuming the leadership of the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Uprety called upon political parties to help create a conducive atmosphere for elections. Talking to a national daily, he pointed out that the government should fix a ‘realistic’ election date instead of any decision that would lead to the postponement of the polls to the 601-seat Constituent Assembly.
The Chief Election Commissioner’s statement comes amid speculation that the elections, which the four major political forces agreed to conduct by 21 June in the 11-point agreement signed on 13 March, might be postponed till November. Talking to The Kathmandu Post on Monday, Uprety informed that the commission would soon submit a time-frame it requires for electoral preparation and expressed hope that a realistic voting date would be decided by the government.
‘With only 70-75 days at our hands, we are not in an easy situation. Rather than frustrating people by announcing the date of election and postponing it at the last moment, I hope we will take an intelligent decision,’ he said.
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