Polls in newly added local levels technically not possible: EC

Kathmandu, May 25

The Election Commission today said holding second phase of elections in the newly created local levels on the scheduled date would be technically impossible.

The government had decided to add 22 local levels and upgrade 24 municipalities in the Tarai  on Monday. The government had also decided to upgrade two sub-metropolitan cities — Biratnagar and Birgunj — to metropolitan cities.

A meeting of the EC’s commissioners and officials held at its central office again made it clear that holding elections in the recently increased local levels on June 14 was technically impossible.

“The commission again requests the government to create conducive environment for second phase of elections in the remaining 461 local levels of provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7, as per the poll schedule published in Nepal gazette,” reads a statement issued by EC.

EC officials also discussed the cabinet decision to increase, change and upgrade local levels — metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development yesterday sent a copy of the cabinet decision to the polls panel. The EC  said that as per legal provisions, the government had to  provide details of the cabinet decision after increasing the number of wards of municipalities, rural municipalities and other local levels and publish a notice in Nepal gazette, but  the EC had not receive such details.

“It is technically impossible to prepare ward and polling centre-wise details of voters and send them to the centres of all rural municipalities and municipalities by May 29,” the EC stated. Likewise, the poll panel said it was impossible to update voters’ roll, voters’ identity cards, print them and send them to respective polling centres before June 10. The election body also said it would be impossible to appoint additional staffers and open offices of returning officers in the new local levels on May 29.

The poll panel said it had already printed voters’ roll, voters’ identity cards, and ballot papers and supplied all electoral materials to the districts. It also said employees had already been deployed and office of Chief Election Officers had already been opened in local levels.  The EC said that it had completed all necessary preparations to hold second phase of elections on June 14, as per the poll schedule published in Nepal Gazette by the government.