Nation Goes To Polls

Authorities have announced that they have finished all preparations for the country's general election, which is taking place today. While the Home Ministry has reinforced security around the country, all preparations for the protection of voting stations, centres, booths, voters, candidates, and polling materials have been completed. The Election Commission (EC) has set up 10,892 polling stations, 22,227 polling centres, and 141 temporary polling centres, as well as 246,960 returning officers to manage 17,988,570 voters who will vote to elect representatives to the federal and provincial legislatures using the first-past-the-post and proportional representation voting methods.

The government has implemented pre-election, election, and post-election strategies. Now it has deployed a total of 298,779 security personnel to ensure a secure voting environment that allows voters to cast ballots in a free and peaceful manner. They include 74,849 from the Nepali Army, 71,693 from the Nepal Police, and 35,116 from the Armed Police Force, as well as 1,921 members of the National Investigation Department and 115,000 temporary recruits. The election body has categorised nearly one-third of polling locations as "extremely sensitive", 3,080 as "sensitive," 4,420 as "less sensitive." According to the Home Ministry, three Nepal Police officers and five temporary police recruits will be assigned to each non-sensitive polling station, three Nepal Police officers and six temporary police recruits to sensitive polling stations, and three Nepal Police officers and nine temporary police recruits to very sensitive polling stations. 

If there is more than one polling station, two more Nepal Police personnel and three temporary police personnel would be deployed. Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has instructed all 77 district administration offices to assess the situation near international border points in order to prevent criminal groups from entering Nepal and to avert clashes between opposing party workers. Authorities need to tighten up security in light of various organisations, including the Communist Party of Nepal headed by Netra Bikram Chand 'Biplav', the CPN (Bahumat) led by Dharmendra Bastola, the CPN (Revolutionary Maoist) led by Mohan Baidya, and a few others that have boycotted Sunday’s elections. Security authorities, however, believe there is still a potential of violence from the members of participating parties. 

Some random bombings have occurred in some areas, putting all security organs under severe strain. On the election day, the police have kept 903 bomb disposal squads on standby and focused on polling places around the nation. The Nepali Army has helicopters on standby mode at Surkhet, Pokhara, Bardibas and Itahari for deployment to any area of the country in less than half an hour if required. Private helicopters were also asked to stay on standby. The district administration offices have confiscated 2,025 small guns, 1,854 of which are lawful and 171 of which are illegal, claiming them as possible risks during the elections.

However, the authorities might take heart from the fact that, in comparison to previous elections, this year's elections are taking place in a comparatively calm political atmosphere. Several foreign election observers have also been invited to monitor the voting. As a result, the EC seems to be convinced that the elections will be peaceful, free, and fair. Because free and fair elections are the foundation of a democracy such as Nepal, our authorities must guarantee that they are conducted in a free and impartial way in which all voters can vote for candidates of their choice. Our authorities — the government, security forces, ministries, and the EC — have done all possible to ensure that the elections on Sunday are peaceful, free and fair.