KATHMANDU, Jan 12: The election commission (EC) has refused to stop preparation being made for holding the midterm election scheduled for April 30 and May 10.
Puspha Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal led-faction of Nepal communist Party (NCP) had asked the election body to stop the preparations being made for holding the elections on Monday arguing that cases against the dissolution of parliament are still sub-judice at the Supreme Court.
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However, the EC has maintained that the election body is obliged to make preparation for the election as the election date has already been announced by the government. “It is our duty to make necessary preparations and we won’t stop it until the apex court orders us to do so,” senior officials at the commission said. “The EC is acting as per the law.”
President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the lower house of the federal parliament and announced dates for midterm election at the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Following that government move, the ruling NCP has witnessed a vertical split. While the Oli-led faction is backing the house dissolution and making preparations for election, the Dahal-Nepal faction is opposing the move and staging a series of protests across the country.
Both the factions of the NCP earlier approached the EC seeking official recognition as the NCP. However, the EC is yet to make a final decision to grant official recognition to any of these two factions within the ruling NCP.
