Kathmandu, March 26

The Election Commission today said that six districts of Province 2 had yet to finalise polling stations.

The EC said out of eight districts in Province 2, only Bara and Parsa districts had sent report on polling stations till this evening.   Due to discord among political forces, other districts of Province 2 — Saptari, Siraha, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Rautahat and Sarlahi — have failed to finalise polling stations.

The election body, which had asked all its district offices to send report on polling stations by March 23, said the election schedule would be affected if the remaining districts did not send reports within a week.

Apart from six districts of Province 2, Dolpa, Bajura and Dhading are yet to send reports on polling stations.

“We have asked our district offices to send their reports at the earliest,” said Spokesperson for the EC Surya Prasad Sharma.

According to Sharma, the EC is yet to start printing voter list and voter identity cards. The EC said updated address and polling station would be printed on voter’s identity card, as well as on the voter list to prevent fraud in the elections.

The commission has to print at least three sets of voter lists of 14 million voters and 14 million identity cards. Sharma said the contractors, who the EC had assigned to print voter list and identity cards, had assured the EC that they could deliver the said items on time only if designs were given to them within a week. “Our staffers in the districts have been trying their best to forge consensus on polling stations,” added Sharma.

EC not to invite foreign observers

KATHMANDU: The EC said it would not invite foreign observers in the local level election slated for May 14.

Publishing a public notice on Sunday, the commission asked local organisations interested in observing the polls to apply within 15 days at the EC’s central office or at its district offices.

The commission has also set some measures to observe elections. As per the criteria,  observer organisations cannot limit poll observation to accessible areas like the Kathmandu Valley and major cities. “They have to go to remote mountainous regions, hills and districts of the Tarai region.

We can assign them to monitor anywhere,” said Sharma, adding that those organisations have to submit their reports by June 14.