Election Commission calls for applications from poll observers

Kathmandu / Sept. 9: The Election Commission has issued a notice calling an application for the international organisations, communities and representatives if they wish to observe the elections of the House of Representatives and State Assembly.

The Commission has set the date till September 30 for the submission of application, said EC Under Secretary Mukunda Sharma.

“The online application might take two to three days as we are having some technical issues. So, the interested ones can submit the form manually as well till September 30,” he added.

The government has announced to hold the elections in two phases in November 26 and December 7.

Election Commission spokesperson Nawaraj Dhakal said the commission has urged the international organisations, community and individuals to participate in the election observation so as to contribute to the objective of holding the elections in a free, fair and fear-free environment.

The EC has expressed the belief that the observation of the elections by the international organisations and community would help maintain the Election Commission’s credibility besides expanding the relations between it and the international community.

The organisations and individuals wanting to observe the elections should fulfil their responsibility within the parameters of the code of conduct for the international observers endorsed by the commission.

According to the EC, the interested organisations or individuals should be registered with the official body of their respective country and also possess the experience of having observed the elections in the past.

Many countries have the practice of allowing the international organisations, community and individuals to observe their national, parliamentary or general elections.

It is expected that this contributes to increasing the credibility of the elections.