EC directs government for security arrangements in NA election

KATHMANDU: The Election Commission has directed the government and the Home Ministry to make arrangements of movement of candidates and voters only after coordinating with respective District Administration Office while participating in election related programmes for the National Assembly election scheduled for January 25.

The government has been asked to make necessary security arrangements on the route leading to polling stations and residential areas of Province Assembly members, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities and mayors, deputy-mayors as they are the voters and they live in different places in the province.

Twenty seats at the NA are going to be vacant from March 3. Of 20 seats, the election is scheduled for 19 seats on January 25.

The EC issued such directives on the basis of recommendation of the High-Level Election Security Committee formed under Election Security (Management) Directive-2078 in view of possible security challenges, said Assistant Spokesperson at the EC, Shreedhar Panthi.

Office of the Election Officers have already been established at the Province Election Office in Morang, Dhanusha, Makawanpur, Dang, Surkhet and Kailali and election code of conduct has been enforced since January 16.

The EC, through the Government of Nepal, and the Home Ministry, directed the security bodies to ensure effective and reliable election security arrangements making the District Election Security Committee active and to provide details after carrying out necessary supervision in course of implementation of election code of conduct.