Thoughts on next CA polls
The Himalayan Times
5
April 2013
Listening to the Election Commission (EC) officials
over the radio talk program, I found them to be indirectly conceding that the
next CA would not be possible in June if the outstanding issues (such as the
issuance of citizenship certificates to the eligible voters, the compilation and
completion of voters registration, and amendment to some laws related to the
election) were not be addressed immediately. Now, the EC has started officially
considering deferring the poll date from June to November as reported in “EC
mulling over Nov poll date” (THT, 3 April, Page 1)
All the senior leaders had, until a few
days ago, been saying that the next CA election would be held in first week of
Asad (i.e late June). Now, they have started changing their tune, publicly
saying that the November is the right time to hold the polls as reported in “CA
polls in November, says UML Chairman” (THT, 3 April, Page 5). However, the
people had already envisaged looking closely at the political statements of the
senior leaders of four major political forces. Their public remarks that the CA
election would be held in the first week of Asad were a ploy designed to calm
down the public anger over their irresponsible and insensible political acts of
killing the first CA assembly without completing the people’s mandate.
The November election seems all the more difficult
to hold if the Interim Election Council (IEC) fails to bring the agitating
parties led by CPN-Maoist on board.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
