KATHMANDU, April 27: With a view to avoiding conflict with political parties and not get blamed for being unable to conduct new polls for the Constituent Assembly (CA), the Interim Election Council has hinted that it will move ahead without making any significant changes to existing election-related provisions.
Chairman of the Interim Election Council and Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi gave the hint at a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety and Commissioners Dolakh Bahadur Gurung, Rambhakta PB Thakur and Ila Sharma held at his resident at Baluwatar, Friday morning. [break]Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav was not present as he is currently outside the capital.
The new indication comes at a time when the UCPN (Maoist) and fringe political parties have been objecting to proposed provisions related to an eligibility threshold for seats under the proportional representation electoral system and candidates´ criminal background.
Fringe political parties have also rejected the proposal to reduce the total numbers of CA seats from 601 to 491. As per the new proposal, the CA will have 240 seats each under the first passed the post (FPTP) system and the proportional representation electoral system, while 11 other members will be nominated.
“We are being criticized even as we are trying to introduce a better system,” an EC commissioner quoted Regmi as saying at the meeting, adding, “What to do when the political parties are not ready to accept the proposed provisions?”
The Election Commission (EC), in the ordinance on amending the Election of Members of the Constituent Assembly Act, 2013, has proposed that a political party must secure one percent of the total valid vote cast in the election to be eligible for seats under the proportional electoral system.
Similarly, the constitutional body has proposed that persons convicted of criminal offenses or moral turpitude should be barred from filing candidacy and be allowed to contest elections only six years after completing the sentences handed down by the courts or any other judicial authority.
Also, the EC has proposed that a candidate must make public his/her property details while filing candidacy.
Though the government has already approved an ordinance on amending election-related acts and the ordinance on amending the Election Commission Act, 2013, it has failed to approve the ordinance for amending the Election of Members of the Constituent Assembly Act, 2013, as the political parties are sharply divided over provisions related to eligibility threshold for proportional representation seats, the candidates´ criminal background if any and making candidates´ property details public while filing candidacy.
Regmi and the top EC officials also held discussions on wooing the agitating political parties, including the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, which has been saying that it will not sit for talks with the Interim Election Council as it is ´unconstitutional´.
“The EC will hold talks with disgruntled political parties in a bid to bring them on board the election process,” said Commissioner Sharma.
An alliance led by the CPN-Maoist and the Federal Democratic Forum, an alliance headed by the chairman of the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, have been demanding that their concerns be addressed prior to the annoucement of poll dates.
EC to register new parties
The EC on Friday decided to register new political parties for the purpose of elections. According to Sharma, a meeting of the constitutional body decided to issue a call to political parties to get registered at the EC for election purposes. “The EC will issue a public notice in this regard by Sunday or Monday,” she added.
Altogether 119 political parties are registered at the EC so far. According to the EC, 54 political parties had contested the CA elections held in 2008 and 25 parties were elected.
Related story
Threshold forcing fringe parties to go for mergers, alliances
