Secretary General Ban made the suggestion to bring dissenting parties to the poll process during his meeting with Chairman of Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi at the UN headquarters on Saturday, according to a press statement issued by Nepal´s Permanent Mission to the UN, New York. [break]
In response, the Regmi said that efforts were still under way to bring the dissenting parties on board the Constituent Assembly (CA) election process and that both the government along with the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) were holding negotiations with them.
During the meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, discussions were held on the preparations for CA polls slated for November 19, the progress achieved so far in the peace process and advancement of the political process aimed at political stability and inclusive development.
On the occasion, Chairman Regmi stated that election would be held on the stipulated date of November 19. “Chairman Regmi stated that preparations for the November 19 elections were going on in full swing, and the election would take place on the stipulated date. He stated that 90 percent of the parties and the people were in favor of polls,” said the statement.
On the occasion, Secretary-General Ban assured all possible UN support to Nepal for the elections. Reference was made on the visit of the Under Secretary General Jeffrey Feltman to Nepal in March this year in regard to the assessment of the need, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake paid a courtesy call on Chairman Regmi on Saturday and discussed various aspects of Nepal-US relations. The need to move forward Millennium Challenge Corporation threshold project activities and activate the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed between the two countries was emphasized on the occasion.
Later in the evening, Chairman Regmi held an interaction with the representatives of the Nepali expatriate community in New York where views on ´Second Election of Constituent Assembly: Necessity and Challenges; role and responsibility of Election Government´ were exchanged.
Related story
High court OKs Trump’s travel ban, rejects Muslim bias claim
