KATHMANDU: The Development Committee of the Parliament on Tuesday issued directives to the government to fix date for local elections as soon as possible.

At  meeting, the parliamentary panel also instructed the government to fill the vacant positions of commissioners at the Election Commission.

It also issued directives to the line ministries and offices concerned to update voters’ list for the civic polls, prepare electoral procedures and voters identity cards and manage budget for the polls.

Speaking in the meeting, presided over by Development Committee Chairman Rabindra Adhikari, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bamdev Gautam assured that arranging security personnel for the local polls will not be a problem once the date for the same is fixed. “The main issue is create a favourable political environment for local body elections,” said Gautam, adding, “The elections would have been held in 2014 had we had such favourable environment then. The incumbent government also intends to hold the local elections at the earliest.”

Similarly, DPM and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development, Prakashman Singh said political parties lacked willingness and were of different opinions, as a result of which local elections have been delayed. “The government is committed to holding election by forging consensus among the political parties,” Minister Singh added.

The panel issued directives to the government after holding a discussion with different stakeholders.

Election Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung said his office had sent a draft amendment to existing election laws, which must be passed by the Parliament to enable the EC to hold local elections.

“We have introduced timely changes in our proposal,” Gurung said, adding that the EC had suggested ensuring 50 per cent women’s candidacy in local polls. He said the EC had also proposed to enable people having names in the Constituent Assembly’s PR list to contest the local polls.

“If we bar PR candidates from contesting local polls, local bodies cannot benefit from the able persons,” Gurung said. He also said consensus among parties was necessary for holding local polls. The EC has also suggested amendment to the existing election laws to bar people convicted of serious crimes from contesting local polls. Lawmakers at today’s meeting underscored the need of local body elections to carry out reconstruction of the quake-damaged physical infrastructures and resettlement of the quake-displaced persons.