Government committed to holding elections within stipulated date; Electoral Constituency Determination Bill passed

Kathmandu / March 20: The government has reiterated its commitment that it would hold all three sets of elections within the constitutionally stipulated timeframe.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers expressed such commitment in written while responding to Supreme Court’s order which had asked the government to furnish written response within 10 days on the preparation and progress made on elections. The response was submitted through the Office of the Attorney General on Monday.

The government further informed that the date of local election was already fixed for May 14.

Similarly, as per the constitution, the report of the local level restructuring commission had been sent to the Election Commission. All laws needed for election have been formulated, the government added.

A division bench of Justices Harikrishna Karki and Anil Kumar Singh had ordered the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Election Commission, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to reply in written about the progress made so far and the action plans for holding the elections.

The order had issued in response to a writ petition filed at SC demanding the announcement of dates for all three level elections.

Electoral Constituency Determination Bill passed

Meanwhile, the Legislature-Parliament has passed the ‘Electoral Constituency Determination Bill, 2017’ by a majority today.

Before this, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajaya Shankar Nayak presented a proposal on behalf the Prime Minister seeking the House approve the bill.

Lawmakers Bharat Bahadur Khadka, Rajendra Pandey, Rewati Raman Bhandari, Guru Burlakoti, Ram Narayan Bidari and Agni Prasad Kharel withdrew the amendment proposals on the bill that they had registered earlier.

However, the House rejected with a majority the amendment proposal on the bill registered by lawmaker Prem Suwal, Anuradha Thapa and Meena Pun when it was presented for its decision.

The bill was passed by a majority by the parliament as the government has accepted most of the amendments that the main opposition party had proposed on it. RSS