KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 4
The Election Commission has issued the Election Security (Management) Directive with a view to conducting the November 20 elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly in a fair, free, impartial, and fearless environment without security lapses.
It devises security arrangements for election officer, office of election officer, election materials, election candidates and their attorneys, voters and general public, ballot box and ballot papers, electoral rolls, polling centre and employees deputed there, leaders of political parties, election campaign and rallies, election observers and mediapersons, among others.
The directive requires the security agencies to ensure security of the persons, places and materials specified by the law. "The Government of Nepal will mobilise security agencies for foolproof security sensitive places and offices, district election office, district administration office, court, prisons, telecommunication office, radio and television station, electricity towers, airports and other vital installations during the election," the directive says.
The directive also calls on the government to make arrangements for reserve security force in all districts for its immediate mobilisation if the security personnel deployed for elections could not take the situation under control amid threats to election proceedings.
The directive says that backup security forces will be kept standby in district headquarters for their deployment as required . The security agencies have been mandated to carry out pre-election, election and post-election security operations.
The security arrangements will be in place until the victory rally of the political parties after announcement of the final results of the elections. Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department will be deployed for security, in addition to temporary cops.
According to the directive, there will be three-tier security arrangements. Nepal Police and temporary cops will be deployed inside the polling centres while APF and NA will man the second and the outermost rings respectively, said the source. Security agencies have already classified constituencies and polling centres into 'highly sensitive', 'sensitive' and 'normal' considering the security threat.
The directive makes provision for a nine-member high level election security committee led by an election commissioner.
Other members include EC secretary, home secretary, defence secretary, lieutenant general designated by the Chief of Army Staff, inspector general of Nepal Police, inspector general of APF and chief of National Investigation Department, among others.
Similarly, there will be a seven-member district election security committee headed by chief district officer.
Provincial and district police chiefs and other officials will inspect polling stations while helicopters will be used for aerial patrolling in sensitive and highly-sensitive areas. As per the directive, there will also be striking teams, bomb disposal squads and aerial patrolling teams.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 5, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
