KATHMANDU: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has expressed the Election Commission (EC)’s full readiness for conducting the upcoming March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) election as per the government’s priority.
At a discussion held today at Singha Durbar in the presence of Prime Minister Sushila Karki among the representatives of EC, political parties, Gen Z and stakeholders, he shared that the EC has completed all preparation required for the general elections.
“Four and half months have already elapsed since the government announced the election date. Now we have only two months to go. EC has completed all procedural works except few”, the acting CEC informed.
Problem may arise during election times if the security policy is not immediately amended after registration of nomination letter by parties, he said, urging the security related agencies and home ministry to make timely necessary preparation to that end.
Bhandari further said that this time there may be some differences in the risk categorization done earlier, and emphasized on gearing up preparation devising strategies accordingly.
“Due to the conflict and power struggle between the old and new forces, there is a possibility that some areas previously considered peaceful may become risky, and those considered risky may become normal. Therefore, I appeal everyone to cooperate to make the election a success with the belief that the only option is the election”, he said.
The CEC also shared that the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided necessary assurances regarding law and order, and discussions between the Commission and the government have assured that there are no weaknesses in security.
He informed that for the elections to be held on March 5, 2026, the procedures, directives, and code of conduct have been drafted according to the current law, and the code of conduct will now be implemented in coordination with party consensus and the government.
During the meeting, the commission also urged political parties not to change the timeline for submitting candidates’ names for the proportional representation electoral system, as doing so could disrupt the election process.
Due to the short time and limited human resource available for holding the declared election, changing the schedule would cause difficulties, he clarified.
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