Kathmandu, August 30

The government today rescheduled the provincial and parliamentary elections for November 26 and December 7.

A meeting of the Cabinet took a decision to this effect.

Earlier the government had decided to hold provincial and parliamentary elections together on November 26.

As per today’s decision, provincial and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously on the said dates.

After the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet said the government decided to reschedule the provincial and parliamentary polls after some stakeholders proposed the same.

The Election Commission had been urging the government to hold the provincial and parliamentary elections in two phases.  The EC had told the government to hold the first round of elections in 31 remote hilly and mountainous districts where voter turnout could be badly affected after November 26 due to the onset of severe winter.

Minister Basnet said the Cabinet also decided to form a political committee on the basis of political understanding to decide on headquarters and governors of provinces.

The government also decided to form National Natural Resource and Finance Commission through Constitutional Council.