According to a source privy to the development, the EC cannot extend the deadline by more than a week as that would affect other events of the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) election scheduled for November 19. [break]
“The commission can extend the deadline for a maximum of one week as the schedule is very tight,” added the source. The source maintained that it is very difficult for the EC to make adjustments in the calendar of events, which is already in force. “Even if the commission extends the deadline for nominations by just a week the deadline for printing the ballot papers will be pushed back to October 4/5,” the source further said.
As per the commission´s calendar of events, political parties registered with the EC should file nominations under the proportional electoral system on September 23, and under FPTP on September 26.
Asked by how many days the EC planned to extend the deadline for nominations, Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety said, “We have not decided yet; we are still trying to establish the justification.”
Talking to Republica, Election Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung said that the EC will take a decision regarding the issue on Thursday. “I will decide tomorrow [Thursday] whether or not it can be done,” Gurung said, “We have to consider the technical aspects before taking any decision.”
A cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar on Wednesday afternoon decided to urge the constitutional body to extend the deadline for nominations for a few days without affecting the date of the Constituent Assembly (CA) poll.
The Interim Election Council took the decision a day after the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) met the top EC officials and urged them to extend the deadline by 10 days.
Earlier, the chairman of the Interim Election Council and other senior ministers also held discussions at Baluwatar with the chief election commissioner and commissioners about preparations for the CA poll.
At the meeting, the top EC officials urged the government to brief them at the earliest on the integrated security plan for the CA election. “They (ministers) told us that they will brief us about the integrated security plan within one or two days,” Gurung told Republica.
According to sources, the senior ministers and top EC officials also discussed about the participation of the Mohan Baidya-led alliance. “The meeting concluded that the government and EC should move ahead, bearing in mind that the possibility of the Baidya-led alliance joining the poll is not over,” a source said.
Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi and Home Minister Madhav Ghimire, Information and Communications Minister Madhav Poudel and Health Minister Bidyadhar Mallik were present at the meeting.
Similarly, Chief Election Commissioner Uprety and Commissioners Gurung, Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, Ram Bhakta PB Thakur and Ila Sharma were also present at the meeting.
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