Describing elections as the soul of a democratic system, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has appealed to the voters to make Sunday’s parliamentary and provincial polls a success as it will “shape the country’s fate and determine the future.”
Voting for the twin elections – parliamentary and provincial assemblies – in Nepal will take place in a single phase on 20 November.
“We need to take the country forward on the path of prosperity by consolidating the federal democratic republic system,” said Deuba addressing the people through a video message telecast on Thursday ahead of the elections.
He said that the election is the soul of a democratic system and further appealed to all the Nepalese to make the historic 20 November Parliamentary and Provincial Assembly elections a success.
“As Nepali Congress has been in the forefront of all social and political movements that have taken place in the country in the past, now it is the responsibility of Nepali Congress to take the country towards prosperity,” Deuba, 76, said.
The five-time prime minister said his government would work for the excellence of youth.
“As our youths are attaining excellence in technology and scientific knowledge we will move forward with new thinking honouring their knowledge,” he said.
“We will make the service delivery to the people efficient and effective by modernising our ruling system. The valuable vote cast by the people in the election will shape the country’s fate and determine the future,” Deuba, also the president of the Nepali Congress, said.
“After the previous government dissolved the Parliament twice, dragging the country towards chaos and uncertainty the present coalition was formed on the foundation of cooperation and collaboration,” Deuba recalled and appealed upon the people to cast their votes in favour of the candidates belonging to the ruling alliance.
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Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, whose CPN-Maoist Centre is a part of the ruling alliance, termed the 20 November elections as a referendum between progressive and regressive forces.
There is a need for the ruling alliance to win the polls to ensure the rights of the deprived social class, geography and indigenous people, said the former prime minister. Dahal, in a video message, urged all voters to exercise their right to vote and make the coalition victorious.
“The responsibility of making Nepal prosperous through people’s access to education, health and employment opportunities and a self-reliant economy has fallen on our shoulders. There is no room for excuses,” he said.
Arguing there is no possibility to pursue a journey of development, prosperity and justice under the leadership of a regressive force, Dahal stressed the need for a pro-change force to lead the next government to realise these dreams.
“For ending regressive forces and corruption, and pursuing the journey of socialism through a prosperous Nepal, I want to appeal to all the voters to vote for candidates from the alliance under the first-past-the-post system and for the Maoist Center under the proportional representation system.”
Nepal’s Election Commission has announced a raft of measures to ensure the elections are conducted without any incident.
These include shutting the Nepal-India border, enforcing air patrolling and setting up three-tier security at polling stations.
The Election Commission will be mobilising 276,000 staff for conducting the election and some 300,000 security personnel have also been deployed.
“Nepal-India borders have already been closed from Thursday in view of the elections, and will resume only after the voting concludes,” he added.
Additionally, Chief Election Commissioners from India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives will be arriving as international observers, Election Commission spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudyal said.
India’s Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar will be leading a delegation of ECI officials as state guests in Nepal from 18 to 22 November, the poll panel said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Kumar would be visiting polling stations in Kathmandu and nearby areas.
Political observers closely watching the elections, have predicted a hung parliament and a government that is unlikely to provide much-needed political stability in Nepal.
