EC revs up work to arrange logistics
KATHMANDU, AUG 27 -
The Election Commission (EC), which is racing against time to keep up with its schedule, has intensified work to arrange for logistics to hold the Constituent Assembly (CA) election s as planned on November 19.
EC officials say they have already awarded contracts to companies to purchase 485 metric tonnes of paper for ballot paper printing.
“The paper will be supplied in Kathmandu within 15 days, while the Janaksiksha Samagri Kendra Limited (JSSKL) will be authorised to print the ballot papers,” Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety told the Post on Tuesday.
Keeping in mind the number of political parties that has gone up this time around, the EC is arranging additional printing machines, while the old ones are being repaired.
Only 54 political parties had contested the 2008 election s and the EC had to print 42.5 million ballot papers then, which had taken 26 days. According to Uprety, USAID has committed to provide a web-tech machine to the EC.
The UNDP is also providing two cutting and numbering machines upon the EC’s request. “These three machines will be installed within a week,” said Uprety.
CEC Uprety further said the EC will print the ballot papers and the voter ID cards in Nepal itself. “The EC has never printed ballot papers outside the country and this time too we will print all these materials in the country,” he said.
However, while Uprety’s words may hold true to some extent, experts with past election experiences do not rule out the possibility of the EC having to print the ballot papers in other countries that have more advanced printing machines that can print the papers on a very short notice. And this, especially, if negotiations with poll-opposing parties drag on and the time required by the EC to take a final call on the ballot papers stretches until the November 19 election is almost at hand. The experts say the EC has to look beyond the printing machines at its disposal if this situation arises.
Uprety also reiterated the EC stance that it will go ahead with the election s even if the poll-opposing parties refuse to join the poll process.
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