Joint Push For Polls

We cannot imagine democracy in the absence of elections.  Elections are more important to end any political crisis and transition, as they are the best way to fulfill people's mandate. After the Gen-Z movement of September 8 and 9, Nepal is now in a transition phase with an interim government in place to manage administration. There is no parliament to elect a lawful government. The interim government is the immediate outcome of the movement, with the responsibility of holding the elections on March 5, 2026. As per its key objective, the interim government has left no stone unturned to hold the free, fair, and credible elections to the House of Representatives and hand over power to the elected government. It is what Prime Minister Sushila Karki has been stating since she assumed the post of the Prime Minister three months ago.  

In this context, she convened a crucial joint meeting of the key political parties, the Election Commission, and security chiefs and discussed the issues relating to elections the other day. She listened to the party representatives, responded to their concerns and heard briefings from the Election Commission and the chiefs of all four security bodies on election preparations.  The joint meeting of the stakeholders concerned with holding the elections was a crucial step towards forging a broad consensus that the elections should be held.  It was evident from the fact that the PM termed the gathering as the most important and productive one in terms of building an environment for elections. 

Likewise, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel said that the meeting helped create a conducive atmosphere for the polls. While briefing the media after the meeting, Minister Kharel said that after Friday's joint meeting, an environment for holding the elections in a free, fair, and fear-free manner has been created. Minister Kharel has been confident about holding the elections on the scheduled date since the day he assumed his office. Earlier, the government had held similar meetings with political parties and the representatives of Gen-Zers. In the meeting, representatives of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and the Janamat Party expressed their views openly. 

According to news reports published by this daily, the parties agreed that the House of Representatives elections must proceed without delay, but, at the same time, they stressed the need for maintaining security to hold the polls. Prime Minister Karki promptly assured the gathering that the government was fully committed to holding the elections on time and to transferring power to an elected authority thereafter. She further urged the parties to support conducting the elections and hand over power to a new government. 

On behalf of the government, the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Karki, Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Minister Kharel, and Law Minister Anil Kumar Singh. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, two commissioners, and the commission secretary were also present.

Acting Chief Commissioner of the Election Commission, Ram Prasad Bhandari, informed the meeting that the Commission was moving ahead with full preparations for the polls. Likewise, the heads of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigation Department outlined their respective security strategies for the election. With government agencies prepared and political parties ready to participate, elections on March 5 appear certain. It is the duty of all stakeholders to cooperate and ensure the polls are free, fair and credible.  Election is the only way to safeguard the constitution drafted in eight years and bring the derailed politics to the right track.