EC advices to hold local level election on May 18

The Election Commission (EC) has advised the government to set a date for holding the local elections on Wednesday.

After meeting the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the team including the Chief Election Commissioner informed that the term of office bearers elected from the local level elections held in three phases on May 14, Jun 28, and 18 Sept 2017 would expire on May 19.

It is the constitutional and legal obligation of the Government and the Election Commission to complete in accordance with Article 215 (6), Article 216 (6), Article 220 (5) and Article 4 and Article 55 of the Local Level Election Act.

According to a statement issued by the commission, the commission will prepare ballots, voting locations and other facilities if the proposed date is fixed as the election management period usually requires 120 days.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Deuba informed that the date of the election would be fixed after completing the necessary process to hold the local level election in one phase on the proposed date as per the advice of the commission. He urged the Election Commission to make all necessary preparations for holding the local elections in a clean, free, fair and fearless environment and directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide necessary security.

While advising the government on behalf of the commission, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya urged the government to set the date of the election in consultation with the commission and to assume the consultation, role and responsibility of the commission in relation to this constitutional and legal provision.

Stating that there is no alternative to hold the election before the end of the term as there is no constitutional or legal provision to extend the term of the local level, he also informed that none of the provisions of the existing law is inconsistent with the constitution.

Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel said that the commission has suggested that the local level election should be held in one or two or more phases.

The commission has suggested that the election should be held at the same time for positive reasons such as reduction of election campaign expenses, shortening of the code of conduct period, other works not being affected, election results in one place not being affected in another place and monitoring and observation of the election. The commission has also made suggestions on the election security arrangements related to the local level election, the expenses incurred by the commission in election management and the health criteria to be followed in conducting the election between COVID-19.

Home Minister Bal Krishna, Minister for Mines, Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dilendra Prasad Badu, Attorney General Khamma Bahadur Khati, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi and other high-ranking officials were present on the occasion.