Nepal conducts peaceful election within six months of Gen Z movement

Kathmandu – Acting Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission, Nepal, Ram Prasad Bhandari, stated that conducting the House of Representatives election peacefully within six months after the Gen Z movement was no small feat.

Speaking at the inauguration session of a central-level review workshop on the election held on Falgun 21, Acting Chief Bhandari clarified that despite doubts and numerous challenges following the announcement of the election date, the government, the commission, political parties, stakeholders, and the general public participated to ensure the election was conducted successfully.

“It is not a trivial matter to conduct an election peacefully within six months of the uprising. The global community has been closely observing this election,” Commissioner Bhandari remarked. “This success was not achieved solely by the efforts of the Election Commission. We emphasized political dialogue from the beginning, carrying the belief that no one should be excluded from the electoral process. With the government’s cooperation, we managed to bring the rebel groups, old political factions, and emerging political groups to the same table for dialogue and to foster goodwill.”

Acting Commissioner Bhandari recalled that with no alternative to elections to maintain discipline disrupted by the movement, they worked tirelessly amidst challenges to conduct the election, which he described as economical and comparatively well-organized.

He mentioned that based on suggestions from the review workshop, future elections will focus on making voter education more effective, increasing accessibility to polling stations and centers, raising the percentage of valid votes, implementing legal reforms, and enhancing the commission’s physical infrastructure. The event, inaugurated by former Prime Minister and former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, also saw the launch of an electronic version of the election results book.

The program was attended by former Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, former Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Anil Kumar Sinha, commissioners Dr. Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagun Shamsher Jabara, representatives of political parties represented in the Federal Parliament, senior government officials, security agency representatives, election observers, election officers, district election officers, polling officers, volunteers, and journalists.