National
President Paudel directs authorities to ensure fear-free and fair elections
President calls for strong measures to guarantee peaceful and impartial polls across the country.
Post Report
President Ramchandra Paudel has directed the government and security chiefs to instill confidence among political parties and the public that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be held in a fair and fear-free environment.
During a discussion at the President’s Office Sheetal Niwas on Saturday, attended by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Cabinet ministers, and the heads of all four security agencies, President Paudel urged them to take bold steps to maintain peace and ensure a secure electoral atmosphere, according to his press adviser Kiran Pokharel.
President Paudel also called for the immediate recovery of looted weapons and the arrest of escaped prisoners during the September 9 unrest.
Prime Minister Karki assured the President that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the elections will be conducted in an independent, impartial, and peaceful manner.
She said the government was fully prepared and committed to providing all necessary resources to the security agencies.
Nepali Army chief Ashok Sigdel, Nepal Police chief Chandrakuber Khapung, Armed Police Force chief Raju Aryal, and national investigation department chief Tekendra Karki, expressed confidence in their ability to maintain peace and security during the polls.
Recalling that the security agencies had successfully conducted elections in even more difficult situations in the past and affirmed their full readiness for the upcoming polls.
The security chiefs were referring to the elections conducted during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.
The President also consulted a group of civil society members including professors and writers, among others, earlier in the day, seeking their feedback on the current political situation and upcoming elections.
During the interaction the President had stressed that it was the duty of the civil society members to create an environment conducive for the polls by piling pressure on the government and political parties to run the government as per the Gen Z groups’ aspirations and bring the politics in the right track by holding parliamentary elections on March 5, writer Geja Sharma Wagle, a participant of the interaction, wrote on social media after the meeting.
The head of state had earlier held similar meetings with representatives from political parties and Gen Z groups as well. He has been holding a series of interactions with various stakeholders as the relations between the Sushila Karki-led government and the traditional political parties have not been so cordial.
The major political parties, mainly the CPN-UML, have accused Prime Minister Karki of not sincerely working towards creating a conducive environment for the elections.