More than 80 political parties have registered with the Election Commission (EC), apparently with the intent of contesting the elections for the House of Representatives slated for March 5 next year. The EC has added 8,37,094 new voters to its rolls for the polls, taking the total number of voters to 19,005,324, a surge of about five percent. The minimum eligible age for voting is 18, meaning that one can vote if s/he has a) attained the age of 18 by March 4 and b) got a voter’s ID card from the EC. The EC’s final tally on Dec 6 will show the exact number of voters for the polls.
More than a surge in the number of voters, it shows a desire, especially of the youths, to take part in a democratic process that will select a political leadership that will steer the country, most probably for another five years.
While parties across the political spectrum appear “on the go” for the elections, the major onus is on the government of the day to create a conducive environment for the same. After the youths-led protests of Sept 8-9, leaders of some parties, especially the top leaders, may not have been feeling that safe and secure. The government leadership must reach out to them, address their security concerns and win their confidence. Moreover, some incidents have shown a tendency on the part of our parties to not only boycott each other, but also to prevent each other from organizing political programs and rallies in each other’s ‘turf’. This is not a good sign for democracy; the government should discourage such a tendency.
At the same time, the administration must make all necessary arrangements to conduct the polls in a free, fair and transparent manner. Many jailbirds, who escaped from their cells on Sept 8-9, remain at large along with lethal weapons. The government must intensify search and recovery efforts to rearrest the jailbirds and recover the looted arms. It must reestablish police offices, posts and beats destroyed during the protests, boost the morale of security forces, recruit temporary security personnel and conduct voter education/awareness programs by working on a war footing.
In summary, the government must rally the entire nation for the polls to make sure that the Nepali people win, with a landslide.
