Nepal: Tensions mount as Nepal contentious election nears | IRIN Asia

Protests and logistical challenges are heightening tensions before a scheduled 19 November national poll in Nepal that is seen as critical to the country’s stability and development, say analysts. Voters are to choose a new Constituent Assembly (CA), which serves as the country’s parliament. The last assembly dissolved in May 2012 after failing to produce a much-anticipated post-war constitution. Citizens have looked to a new constitution to help the country emerge from the 1996-2006 civil war that killed more than 15,000 people. But the contentious issues that stalled its drafting, including how to structure the state and share power, remain unresolved. In January 2013, the UN noted  that high-level political stagnation was allowing the “slow but persistent deterioration of democratic institutions and effective governance”. The humanitarian costs of the constitutional stalemate are high. Without it, several pieces of legislation, including a disaster management act and the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, have been on hold. Meanwhile logistical challenges and threats of violence loom over the polls.

Nepal: Election Commission begins printing voter ID cards | Republica

The Election Commission (EC) has begun printing voter ID cards for the forthcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) election from Sunday night. The commission has been printing the voter ID cards at its central office located at Kantipath, Kathmandu. EC officials said five printers are being used to print the voter ID cards. The EC plans to complete printing of the ID cards in seven days. Asked about when the commission would distribute the voter ID cards, Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety said, “The voter ID cards may be distributed to voters a day before the poll day.” According to EC officials, voters will be asked to collect their ID cards from their respective polling centers. The commission on Wednesday had decided to allow A-Roll Printing Company to supply necessary papers for printing voter ID.

Nepal: Fear of violence grips Nepal ahead of Nov 19 elections | Gulf Times

Fear of violence remains a serious threat to free and fair constituent assembly (CA) elections in Nepal scheduled for November 19, political parties and security experts said yesterday. More cases of election-related violence have been reported from different parts of the country, creating a sense of terror and uncertainty among voters. There are various kinds of election-related clashes now taking place in the Himalayan country, Xinhua said in a news analysis. First, there is an increase in clashes between the political parties that have already launched their respective election campaigns and those who are against the election, principally the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), a breakaway faction of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). The CPN-M, which opposes the upcoming elections, has launched an anti-election campaign and is engaged in activities aimed at obstructing the election. In some places, the party’s activists have even attacked cadres of other parties. The party has also warned people not to vote in the November 19 elections, threatening to harm them if they go to vote.

Nepal: Election Commission decides to print voters’ ID cards on its own | The Himalayan Times

Almost a week after the Election Commission scrapped its plan to get voters’ identity cards printed by the private sector, it is now mulling doing the herculean job on its own. Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety told THT that talks to engage printing machines to print voters’ identity cards were in the preliminary stage. “If we can print the voters identity cards on our own, we can them pack them in plastic pouches. Such cards, containing the photos of voters, can be used in one or two elections. We believe the government will distribute biometric identity cards based on the data collected by the EC, later,” Uprety said. Another EC official said the EC felt the need to print voters’ identity cards on its own to keep its word. “We have assured voters that we will distribute voters ID cards so we want to fulfill the promise,” the official added.

Nepal: Panel considers splinter group’s demands | The Hindu

With the Election Commission’s mid-August deadline — to settle political negotiations to hold the elections for a second Constituent Assembly (CA) on November 19 — on time, parties in Nepal intensified negotiations this week to bring the dissenting parties on board. “The roulette wheel is turning, we’ll find out by Sunday where the ball lands,” said Upendra Yadav, whose party Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) has been asking for the Chairman of the Council of Ministers to resign as Chief Justice; to raise the number for proportional representation in the proposed Assembly to be 58 per cent; to reopen the voter registration drive to include approximately four million eligible voters currently missing from the voter roll; and to delineate the constituencies based on population. Similar demands have been raised by another dissenting party, the Federal Socialist Party (FSP), which wants the government to make provision for Nepalis residing abroad to vote; and has called for an “all party conference” to guide the country’s political future until the elections are held. “If polls are held under the status quo, the country will return to conflict,” warned Mr. Yadav, echoed by FSP. Both parties are vying for concessions to improve their electoral arithmetic.

Nepal: With too many Nepal parties, India cannot supply electronic voting machines there | TwoCircles.net

Nepal’s plan to purchase Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from India for the Constituent Assembly polls in November has hit a road block after the Indian side made it clear that the EVMs were not equipped to cater to such a large number of contesting parties. Indian EVMs can handle a maximum of 64 candidates (or parties) — so far, 139 parties have registered with the Nepal Election Commission to contest the November polls, thus making it difficult to use the machines from India. “A control unit, a kind of software, already installed in Indian EVMs, handles a maximum of 64 buttons for different political parties, so we cannot use the EVMs developed and used in India,” Nepal’s Chief Election Commissioner, Nil Kantha Uprety told IANS.

Nepal: Electronic Voting Machine plan may not materialise | ekantipur.com

The government’s plan to use electronic voting machines (EVM) in 119 of the 240 constituencies during the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) elections has been rendered moot. The Indian Election Commission has said it will not be able to deliver EVMs as per Nepal’s requirement any time soon. Currently, the India-built voting console has only 64 voting switches, while the number of political parties entering the CA election fray is likely to surpass that figure. The Election Commission (EC) has registered 139 political parties so far. Although India is planning to upgrade the EVMs to accommodate 384 candidates for its 2014 general elections, it is unlikely that the plan may materialise any time soon.

Nepal: Election Commission begins registering political parties for polls | Business Standard

The Election Commission in Nepal has started registering political parties for the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections. On the first day of registration, seven political parties including CPN-UML, Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, Sadvana Party and Terai Madhes Democratic Party have submitted applications for party registration for election purposes. The political parties in Nepal have tentatively agreed to conduct new elections, though the exact date for the elections is yet to be announced. The Election Commission has given one month’s time for registering political parties for the upcoming elections, according to sources at the Commission.

Nepal: Election Commission builds biometric voter database ahead of election | BiometricUpdate.com

The Election Commission in Nepal has been working on a biometric voters’ registry database and has accumulated 10.9 million eligible voters thus far, Republica reports. So far, registration takes place at the Commission and consists of a fingerprint and a photograph for identity verification. The Commission has been making internal preparations for the next constituent assembly election in the country, including developing a 120-day integrated action plan to ensure all human resource, materials and budget have been accounted for.

Nepal: Election Commission wants legal hurdles removed by next week to hold polls by mid-May | MyRepublica

At a time when the government has been reiterating that it will conduct fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) polls by mid-May, the Election Commission (EC) has made it clear that it would be unable to hold the polls if legal hurdles, among other concerns raised by the constitutional body, were not addressed by next week. At a meeting with top leaders of CPN-UML held at the EC office in the capital on Monday, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav urged political parties to forge consensus on issues related to holding CA polls. “If you want to conduct CA polls by mid-May [as announced by the government], we urge you all to forge consensus at the earliest,” Yadav said at the meeting.

Nepal: Election commission rules out November polls | AFP

Nepal’s Election Commission said Monday it lacked a legal framework to hold elections promised for November — threatening a long delay that could push the country deeper into political turmoil. “In a situation of constitutional and legal ambiguity, it will be difficult for us to proceed,” commission spokesman Sharada Prasad Trital said in a statement. “Therefore, we have decided to inform the government that it is not possible to hold elections… on November 22,” Trital said.

Nepal: Election Commission to restrict candidates to one constituency each | Review Nepal

The Election Commission (EC) has proposed to make a provision for ‘one candidate one constituency’ in the next elections. A draft proposal prepared by the Commission to carry out an amendment to the CA Member Elections Act- 2064 BS has proposed this provision.The draft has been already submitted to the government, said the Commission. According to information provided by Commission’s Joint Secretary Madhu Regmi, prior to this, one candidate could file the candidacy from more than one constituency. Similarly, as per the amendment proposal, the political party should garner three percent of the total votes to attain a seat under the proportional system.

Nepal: Elections called as constitution deadline passes | BBC

Nepal’s prime minister has called elections, after years of deadlock in which political parties have failed to agree a new constitution. Parliament has been extended four times since 2008 while a special assembly has struggled to reach consensus. When the latest deadline was missed, Baburam Bhattarai said there was “no alternative” but polls in six months. Political parties disagree on the issue of whether states in a new federal system should be along ethnic lines.

Nepal: ‘Election commission among best five’ | MyRepublica.com

The United Nations has highly praised the works carried out by the Election Commission of Nepal and is going to send high-ranking officials to Kathmandu to acquire information to this connection.

Nepal’s Election Commission has been selected among the best five election commissions of the world and a U.N. delegation is arriving Kathmandu for acquiring information about this, said Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Upreti at a program here Friday.

“This is a matter of pride for Nepal,” CEC Upreti said. He added that the international community has highly praised the election to the Constituent Assembly held on 10 April 2008.

Nepal: Election Commission to make its five year strategy effective | The Himalayan Times

A three-day central annual review workshop organised by the Election Commission (EC) concluded here Tuesday, laying emphasis on the effective implementation of the tasks envisaged by its five year strategy.

The workshop was held to review the works the EC carried out towards voters’ enrollment with photo during the year and formulate future strategy. The workshop was attended by the Acting Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commissioners, EC Secretary and district election officers of 75 districts.

India: Indo-Nepal election management pact signed | The Hindu

A Memorandum of Understanding for mutual cooperation in election management between India and Nepal was signed by Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y. Quraishi and his Nepal counterpart Neel Kantha Uprety in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

The agreement covers exchange of knowledge/experience in the electoral process, exchange of material and expertise, training of personnel, production and dissemination of materials, voting technology and conducting voters’ education and awareness programmes.

India: India, Nepal Ink Pact to Boost Election Management | outlookindia.com

Amid efforts by Kathmandu to establish a multi-party democracy, India and Nepal today inked a key pact to deepen cooperation in the field of election management and boost voters participation.

India’s Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, who is on an official three-day visit to Nepal, and his Nepalese counterpart Neel Kantha Uprety signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise relating to the electoral process and systems.

India: Indian Election Commission shares polls expertise with Nepal |The Himalayan Times

Preventing the misuse of money to influence voters during elections is one of the biggest impediment to holding free and fair polls, the chief of India’s Election Commission said today.

Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, who is in Kathmandu on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart, Neel Kantha Upreti, shared his experience of conducting Indian elections at a programme organised by Indian Embassy and BP Koirala foundation, titled ‘Managing Indian Election: Sharing experience and prospectus for Co-operation’.