Kathmandu, July 23

Lawmakers today said voters should be given the right to reject and the right to recall as per the spirit of the constitution.

Taking part in the parliamentary debate today on the bill on election for members of the House of Representatives, lawmakers argued that if the voters were given the right to recall and reject their representatives, then elected representatives would be more accountable to their voters and they would not do anything against the interests of their voters or the public.

Lawmaker Janak Raj Joshi said the provision of right to reject should be included in the bill. “If we do this, it will enable the citizens to enjoy one more right,” he said. He also said that the teachers and government employees must not be deployed as polling officers during elections.

CPN-UML lawmaker Rewati Raman Bhandari also supported Joshi’s argument, adding, “Almost all of the teachers are affiliated with political parties.

Another UML lawmaker Debendra Raj Paudel said the Election Commission should be given the power to announce election dates. “Otherwise, the ruling parties would continue to hold elections on a date that they think could give them electoral advantages,” he added.  CPN-Maoist Centre’s lawmaker Rekha Sharma said the bill must have a provision to control the excessive use of money in the election.

During the special hour debate, lawmakers urged the government to abolish Chhaupadi tradition in the remote area of far western region that victimises  women during menstruation. Almost a dozen lawmakers took part in the parliamentary debate today.