EC urges government to immediately set local election date

The Election Commission has urged the government to immediately set the date for upcoming local level election. Reasoning that the election management works would gradually become complicated from technical and practical fronts with delay in fixing date for local level poll, the election commission urged the government to determine the election date in consultation with the EC.

Issuing a press release, the constitutional body asked the government to set the date for local level election in line with the Clause 4 (1) of the Local Level Election Act, 2073 BS. Stressing that the political parties should come forward to hold the local election on time, the commission has reminded the government of its previous recommendation to designate the date in consultation with the commission.

The recommendation was made earlier in a meeting with the government on January 14 in connection with preparation for upcoming local level election, including fixing the dates. As the commission legally requires 120 days for local level electoral management, it has informed the government of its continued tasks of voters roll update, polling station review and determination and other preparatory works required to accomplish the elections.

As stated in the press release, the election commission is in ready condition to hold the local level election within mid-May 2022 if the election date is designated on time as proposed by the commission.

The Commission has made it clear that the tenure of the local level’s representatives would expire on May 19 beginning their term from May 14, 2017 as per the Local Level Election Act 2073. The first phase of local level election was held on May 14, 2017.

For the first time on 25 October, 2021, the Commissioners of the EC had informed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba regarding the constitutional and legal provisions in regard to the upcoming election to the local level.

The statement released today by EC Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel states that the EC has proposed the government to conduct the local level election on April 27 on Wednesday while meeting the PM again on December 24, 2021.

The EC has also proposed to conduct the polls in two phases on April 27 and on May 5 on Thursday in case the local level election could not be held in a single phase.