The Election Commission (EC) has decided to suggest that the government announce dates for provincial and national elections by the first week of August. Earlier the election body on June 30 had suggested that the government hold provincial elections in the second week of October and national elections in the third week of November. An EC meeting has decided to write to the Home Ministry to fix the election dates taking into account all the prerequisites that the EC had brought to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s notice, an EC press release said. The EC has also called on the government not to split the wards of local units.