Kathmandu, September 7

The National Human Rights Commission today issued a special appeal urging all stakeholders to help the government hold the third phase of local polls in a free, fair and impartial manner.

The rights body urged the government to maintain law and order and to ensure that social harmony is not disrupted during polls.

The NHRC also urged all to abide by poll code of conduct. It also urged stakeholders not to do anything that could create communal, ethnic and sectarian problems and not to impose general strikes and prevent other parties from holding peaceful programmes.

The rights body also urged the stakeholders not to carry any kind of weapon in the run up to the polls and use children during poll campaigning. The NHRC also urged the government to ensure principle of inclusion as guaranteed in the constitution.

The rights body also said that the poll code violators should be punished and voter education programmes should be effectively carried out.  The NHRC urged the government to set up polling centres at places where voters could reach easily. It also urged the government to ensure that elderly voters, differently-abled, new mothers, and sick voters could easily cast their votes from the polling centres.

The rights body also urged the election observers not to be affiliated with any political party and carry out their jobs neutrally.