KATHMANDU, May 1: Citizen's Campaign for Clean Election (CCCE) has urged the government and Election Commission (EC) to ensure full security, particularly in the country's southern plains, claiming that the security situation is not satisfactory in the region for the candidates as well as voters.
Organizing a press conference in Kathmandu to make public cases of election code of conduct violation and pre-poll observation, the poll observing organization said the security situation is weak in the southern tarai region. “Security arrangement for candidates and voters is not satisfactory. The government and the Election Commission must pay attention towards this,” states a press statement issued by CCCE.
The poll observing organization has also stated that the decision to hold the local elections in two phases and the task of updating the voter roll in tarai have cast doubt over conducting the elections within the set date. Noting that there were challenges, CCCE has requested the EC to hold the polls in a free, fair and credible manner. It has also asked the EC to conduct awareness programs for the voters “as many are unaware about their rights and procedures of the local elections.”
As the polling stations have been set up within the distance of 5 Km, it will be challenging for the physically disabled and elderly people to reach there, said the organization adding, ”So, CCCE has requests the EC and the government to make special arrangement for such people to cast their votes.”
Similarly, demanding that the EC increase the number of booths, CCCE has even accused the EC of being involved in political matters forgetting the election code of conducts, ethics and constitutional priorities in recent days.
Saying that there have been many instances of election officials involved in awareness programs being attacked, CCCE has requested the government to ensure security to the voters as well as election officials.