EC wants parties' consensus on CA polls

KATHMANDU, March 27: At a time when some political parties, including Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, have threatened to boycott the Constituent Assembly (CA) polls, the Election Commission (EC) has said that there must be consensus between the political parties for the conduct of election.



A full meeting of the constitutional body held at the EC´s central office in the capital on Monday stressed on participation of all the political parties in the election. [break]



“We will manage the technical aspects but all the political parties must agree to participate in the polls,” EC Spokesperson Anil Kumar Thakur told Republica.



The constitutional body has also stated that the fringe political parties should stop obstructing preparations for the polls. Currently, EC is been busy updating voter list across the country. “The government must remove obstructions in the ongoing voter registration process,” Thakur added.



The EC spokesperson´s remark comes a day after cadres of the CPN-Maoist, Federal Limbuwan State Council (FLSC), Matrika Prasad Yadav-led CPN (Maoist) and Mani Thapa-led Revolutionary Communist Party tried to seize documents and disrupt the voter registration campaign in Sunsari.



CPN-Maoist cadres had seized a laptop used by local election officials for voter registration in Myagdi on Monday.



Asked if elections can be held successfully despite obstructions by some political parties, newly appointed Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said, “We don´t think any political party would boycott the election,” adding, “The EC´s efforts will be to bring all political parties onboard the election process.”



According to EC officials, the constitutional body is likely to recommend the Interim Election Council to announce a date for CA polls by this weekend. “EC has been working toward bringing more clarity on legal issues, creating political environment and enhancing its capability for polls,” said an EC official.



EC has also sought interpretation of the point 12 of the 25-point ordinance on removing hurdles which is related to updating voter list. “We need to hold discussions with the political parties that drafted the ordinance on removing hurdles as point number 12 is not clear,” stated Thakur, adding, “They should clarify the point.”



EC has so far completed registration of 11 million voters with photographs and biometrics. Altogether, 17.6 million voters were registered during the CA election in 2008.



The 33-party alliance led by CPN-Maoist has threatened to boycott the polls if the 25-point ordinance on removing hurdles is not scrapped.

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