KATHMANDU, Dec 23: Two major parties of the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR) – Nepali Congress and CPN-UML – have questioned the readiness of Prime Minister Sushila Karki to hold the HoR polls.
Top leaders of the two parties criticized the government for its failure to create a conducive political environment for the HoR polls scheduled for March 5.
During an all-party meeting on elections convened by Prime Minister Sushila Karki in Singha Durbar, NC and UML leaders questioned the government’s preparedness and credibility to hold the polls. They warned that continued political tensions and restrictions on party activities could jeopardise the polls.
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UML’s Secretary Mahesh Basnet said there was little reason to trust the government's assurances. He accused the government of failing to ensure a free, fair and fear-free electoral atmosphere, claiming that political leaders were still facing restrictions on their movement.
The Gauri Bahadur Karki-led probe commission to investigate physical and material loss of Gen Z protest has enforced a travel ban outside Kathmandu Valley against UML chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
“Elections must be impartial and secure, but the environment remains unfavourable,” Basnet said, adding that the UML remained unconvinced about the government’s commitment to holding credible polls. He also raised concerns over the repeated use of ordinances to twist legal provision on their benefits. Basnet raised questions about the proposed ‘no vote’ option on ballots and uncertainty surrounding the fate of HoR if elections could not be held on March 5.
NC leaders echoed similar concerns, urging PM Karki to immediately engage senior leadership of major political parties to break the deadlock and restore trust. Joint-General Secretary Mahendra Yadav warned that elections could not be conducted by sidelining or antagonising political parties.
“The government must create a secure and inclusive environment for elections,” Yadav said, stressing that failure to hold polls on the scheduled date would raise serious questions about the government’s legitimacy. He criticised the administration for prioritising issues other than elections and cautioned against political vendettas.
Yadav also noted that NC-led governments in the past had ensured free and fair elections even at political cost, urging the current government to demonstrate similar democratic maturity. Regarding multiple ordinances issued by the government, he warned that while some proposed legal reforms may be well intentioned, time constraints and lack of political consensus could undermine their implementation.
The government has made amendments to multiple acts, specially related to election in the spirit of Gen Z protest.
At the same time, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Joint Secretary Anand Kafle on behalf of the government said some election related laws are being amended in response to Supreme Court rulings related to election. The government will now allow ‘no voting’ facility in ballots for the people. Similarly, the amendment will allow Nepali citizens living abroad to vote and facilitate inter-district voting.
