Campaigning for Nov 19 polls reaches final stage in Nepal

Campaigning for the crucial Constituent Assembly polls in Nepal today reached its final stage as authorities put in place extensive security measures for the smooth conduct of balloting on November 19.
"Election campaign will formally end today at midnight," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Neel Kantha Uprety told reporters here today.
He said full security has been arranged for voters and candidates to ensure maximum participation during the polls. The government has mobilised 200,000 security personnel and an equal number of government staff for smoothly conducting the polls.
The Election Commission (EC) is committed to holding the polls in a free, fair and fearless manner, he said. Uprety urged voters to exercise their franchise without being influenced by money, muscle power and threats.

He described as "terror" the recent acts of violence by some groups in the name of boycotting the polls and asked them to protest in a peaceful manner.
"The acts of violence and terror to prevent the voters from exercising their voting rights is always condemnable," Uprety said. The government will take action against them.

CPN-Maoist, a breakaway faction of UCPN-M, has announced it will boycott the polls and a number of incidents of violence have been reported across the country for the past few days as its cadres targeted parties engaged in campaigning and enforced a nationwide transport strike.

Over 17,000 candidates are contesting the elections for the 601-seat Constituent Assembly under direct and proportionate voting system, Uprety said.
More than 16,000 observers, including 250 from abroad, have registered with the EC for monitoring the polls, EC spokesperson Bir Bahadur Rai said.
Former US President Jimmy Carter is leading a team of international observers. Observers have also arrived from SAARC countries, including India.
A total of 12.15 million voters will choose candidates from 122 political parties for 240 seats under a direct voting system, while 335 members will be elected under proportionate voting. The remaining 26 members will be nominated by the government.

The polls to elect the Constituent Assembly are the second national elections since Nepal's 10-year civil war ended in 2006.
The first Constituent Assembly was dissolved without drafting a constitution due to differences among political parties on some key issues, including forms of governance and federal structure.