EC Urges PM to Remove Constitution and Legal Hurdle for Polls

Kathmandu, July 9: The Election Commission (EC) has urged the government to take necessary steps to remove the constitutional and legal hurdles for holding the upcoming elections to the Constituent Assembly ( CA).

A meeting of the Council of Ministers at late midnight of May 27 had decided to hold fresh CA elections on November 22 this year. The Commission summoned the members of the Council of Ministers including the Prime Minister today for the first time since the announcement of the new CA elections and urged this. According to the Commission, at least 120 days are necessary to make internal preparations for the elections.  Besides, amendment to the constitution was a must to guarantee voting rights to the citizens completing 18 years.

Earlier, Acting Chief Election Commissioner and two other Commissioners had met Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai, and urged him to remove the constitutional and legal obstructions in holding the elections. It would be very difficult for the Commission to conduct the elections if these tasks were not carried out in time, he said.

In today's discussion, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Upreti apprised the prime minister and cabinet members of the preparations being made by the commission for the elections and legal and constitutional complexities for conducting the elections.

Talking to media persons briefly following the meeting, PM Dr Bhattarai expressed happiness over the preparations being made by the Commission for the elections.The government is serious towards the call of the Election Commission and will provide all resources required for conducting the elections, he said. Responding to a query about the ongoing preparations for legal and constitutional amendment, the Prime Minister said discussions on the matters were going on.

During the meeting, Mr Upreti said the Commission was ready to conduct the elections in time but the tasks recommended by it should be  fulfilled immediately, the PM quoted Upreti as saying.The meeting also focused on the issues relating to the upcoming budget, said Commission Spokesperson Sharada Prasad Trital. The meeting ran for around an hour, according to Trital.On the occasion, Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai visited the newly constructed Voters' Education Information Center and Data Center situated at the premises of the Commission.