Nepal polls may be deferred: EC

Nepal's election body chief has said the planned Constituent Assembly polls in June may be delayed as the parties have been "indifferent" to the preparations needed for the process.

"I have told the leaders that the Election Commission (EC) will not be able to hold elections on time if the parties fail to decide on the election system and provide us with the legal environment immediately," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokhrel Pokhrel said in Kathmandu on Friday.

The CEC said the commission had informed top leaders of all parties that the time limit for preparation for the election is fast getting over, but the leaders have not taken it "seriously."

Pokhrel said that the government should sort out the discrepancies fast and decide on issues related to security, voters list and date of the polls.

Speaking at a public function here, he made it clear the commission would not be able to hold the polls on time if the political parties "remained indifferent" to the urgency required to carry out the process.

Nepal's Parliament on Friday amended the country's interim constitution to increase political representation for protesting Madhesi communities of Terai region.

The amendment will ensure increase in the allocation of seats in Constituent Assembly elections.

The bill has also proposed a Constituency Delimitation Commission to revise existing electoral constituencies.

The Commission is to be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice which will recommend the number of constituencies to be added in the Terai region based on population.

Regarding allegation of EC being "helpless", he said that it was the circumstances which made the EC wait patiently for the parties to react to its demands.

First Published: Mar 10, 2007 12:44 IST