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Nepal's Election Commission prepares for election in April/May next yearKATHMANDU, Dec 13, 2012 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Election Commission of Nepal is preparing to hold the second Constituent Assembly election in April/May this year, officials said Friday. "We have full support of the government. We are now building infrastructure for election," said Election Commissioner Dr Ayodhi Prasad Yadav. He said the first condition for holding the election is to amend the constitution and election laws, adding that many commissioners are retiring in one month. "The government must be aware of the fact." Nepal has been in a political deadlock since May when a special Constituent Assembly missed a deadline to prepare a new constitution. President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Dec. 13 called on parties for the fourth time to form an all-party government that would hold the upcoming election. The parties failed to respond to the president's calls on Nov. 23, Nov. 29 and Dec. 7 due mainly to their differences over naming a candidate to replace caretaker Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. "Parties now need to sign a political agreement similar to that of the Comprehensive Peace Accord that they signed in 2005," constitutional expert Raju Chapagain told Xinhua. "Otherwise, a consensus will remain elusive." Meanwhile, Bhattarai said if election is guaranteed to be held in April/May, he is ready to "sacrifice the post", according to the PM's Personal Secretary Bishwodip Pandey on Thursday. |