November 15 most suitable for the CA polls: Nepal EC

Nepal's Election Commission today said that November 15 will be the most suitable date for conducting the Constituent Assembly polls in the country and appealed to the sharply divided political parties to help the government in fixing the poll date.
"After consulting with meteorologists and other stakeholders we at the Election Commission has concluded that November 15 is the most suitable date for the new election, Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety said.
"Even a delay of a few days would be unfavourable for the polls as some districts in the Himalayan region would see heavy snowfall by the third week of November," he pointed out.

Nepal's major political parties have tentatively agreed to hold the forthcoming Constituent Assembly polls by November.
Uprety asked the political parties to help the government finalise the ordinance on election laws and to fix the poll date.
The commission drafted the ordinance to update election laws over a month ago but the government has failed to forward it to the president for approval as the major political parties remain sharply divided over some key issues.

"The Election Commission has been involved in the preparation works for conducting the election in mid-November and we are desperately waiting for approval of the election ordinance and announcement of poll date," Uprety said.

Meanwhile, the meeting of the high level political committee, convened at the Army Integration Special Committee Office in Kathmandu was halted after the leaders of the major parties attending the meeting failed to sort out differences in the key issues.
The major parties are still in disagreement about number of seats in the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA), whether a person with criminal record should be allowed to stand in the election and should the candidates show their property status for standing in the election.
The government has not been able to send the electoral ordinance to the president as the parties are still discussing the matter.

The government has said that the date for the election cannot be announced unless the Electoral Laws are finalised.