In a report released in Kathmandu on Friday, the center said the data from the Election Commission (EC) and long-term observer findings indicate that a significant chunk of the population may remain without citizenship certificates. [break]
The center has stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) should make an additional, coordinated effort to reach out to the potentially eligible citizens who lack citizenship certificates.
"The Carter Center recognizes the political sensitivities around issues of citizenship in Nepal and the need to ensure that only eligible individuals receive citizenship documents but also notes the obligation of states to ensure that eligible voters do not face undue hurdles while registering to vote," reads the report.
The center has claimed that despite EC´s extensive efforts, about one to four million voters remain unregistered. "The display of the voter rolls and the claims and objections process revealed a number of errors in the voter registration data collected to date," says the report.
Praising the efforts undertaken by EC to ensure the success of the voter registration program, the center has suggested to EC to continue to take all necessary steps to correct and manage problems that were identified on the register during “display, claims and objections” process.
The Center has also recommended the EC to continue efforts to reach all eligible but unregistered citizens across the country and revisit registration targets when necessary 2011 census data becomes available.
Similarly, the center has suggested to the government to increase its efforts to ensure that all eligible citizens have access to citizenship certificates, as required by the Feb 7, 2011 Supreme Court verdict and to promulgate a new Electoral Roll Act that will reflect the continuous voter registration system in the country.
Likewise, it has urged the political parties and civil society to play more active and supportive role in the voter registration process.
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