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The Election Commission is doing homework to fix the election expenditure limit for the candidates and parties for November 20 elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly as per the Election related law and code of conduct. The EC held consultation with political parties today in this regard. Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said that a decision would be taken after holding discussions on the suggestions received from the political parties. The political parties suggested increasing the expenditure limit fixed for the HoR and Province Assembly election held in 2074 BS and that expenditure limit for different constituencies should not be the same. Chief Election Commissioner Thapaliya expressed the belief that political parties and candidates would follow expenditure ceiling fixed by the EC and as per the code of conduct. Clause 24 of the Election Commission Act-2073 has the provision that the EC could determine the election expenditure limit. Similarly, clause 25 of the same Act mentions that it is the responsibility of the political parties and candidates to submit the election expenditure details and they have to submit the expenditure details within 30 days at the respective election office after the announcement of the final result of the election. The EC has taken action against 123,624 candidates of local-level election held on May 13 and charged up to Rs 750,000 as fine for not submitting their expenditure details.  

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal, head of Nepali delegation, addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday. In his address, the Foreign Secretary outlined the threats to global peace and prosperity arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, inequalities, and climate crisis and stressed for stronger solidarity and cooperation in the international system to overcome them. Accentuating pandemic control as the top priority for the world, he called for vaccine equity and universal vaccination to save lives. He said that Nepal had vaccinated more than 96% of the target population while thanking neighbours, India and China as well as development partners for supporting Nepal in the achievement of this milestone. The Foreign Secretary stated that the interlinked global challenges seriously hampered the achievement of sustainable development goals, particularly for the countries in special situation like the LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDs. He mentioned that Nepal was on the path of graduation from the LDC category, in spite of the huge investment and capacity gaps for structural economic transformation and implementation of SDGs. He called for enhanced level of development assistance, foreigninvestment, debt relief, aid for trade, and technology transfer in support of Nepal’s graduation process. He also stressed the need for immediate implementation of climate finance goals to address the climate crisis faced by developing countries and reiterated Nepal’s commitment to achieving net zero emission by 2045, as expressed by the Prime Minister in CoP26 in Glasgow. He also urged for reforms of international financial architecture for an equitable economic order. In his statement, the Foreign Secretary reiterated Nepal’s principled position on peace, security, and disarmament. Expressing concerns over the rising military expenditure in the world, he called for general and completed disarmament. He underlined Nepal’s opposition to threat or use of force against sovereignty, territorial integrity,and independence of any nation. He condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called for an early conclusion of a comprehensive convention against terrorism. The Foreign Secretary reiterated Nepal’s unwavering commitment to human rights. He mentioned that the Constitution of Nepal had guaranteed universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms andhad enshrined the principles of inclusion and participation. He also shared Nepal’s commitment to conclude transitional justice by addressing the concerns of the victims, complying with the directive of the Supreme Court, and abiding by the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord and country’s relevant international commitments. Paudyal expressed concerns about the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Libya, Syria, Yemen,and the Middle East and urged all parties involved to ensure peace, security, and stability. The Foreign Secretary said that Nepal is committed to promoting peace, security, and stability. Referring to Nepal’s contribution to the UN peace operations as the second largest troops and police contributing country, he expressed support for initiatives aimed at reforming UN peace operations. Condemning attacks against the peacekeepers, he underlined the importance of their safety, security, and dignity as well as the need for adequate training, resources, and modern technologies. The General Debate of the 77th Session of UNGA is being held at UN Headquarters in New York from 20 to 26 September under the theme A Watershed Moment:Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges.