EC directs holding elections in free, impartial way

The Election Commission (EC) has directed the concerned authorities to organise the November 20 elections to the House of Representatives and the Provincial Assembly in a fair, free, impartial and fearless way. A meeting of the EC’s high level election security committee on Wednesday directed in this regard through the government and the Home Ministry.

The meeting also decided to adopt appropriate security strategies to discourage any activities that would intervene the polls like booth capture and depriving voters of their rights to vote with threats.

All sides of the concerned authorities should be actively at work to fully control any untoward incidents that would affect the elections and breach the election code of conduct, it decided. For election security, a substantial workforce of security personnel should be mobilised, and an additional human resource put on reserve.

They should also be mindful of safely transporting ballot boxes post voting, ensuring voters exercise their right to vote without fear, and managing security substantially at the vote counting locations.

Election publicity and committing illegal and barred activities like the sale and consumption of alcohol will be banned before 48 hours of voting, said the EC’s spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel.

Chiefs of all four security agencies, the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and the National Investigation Department, and secretaries of the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry are part of the committee.

Source: National News Agency Nepal

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