The 2017 local elections have been among the most peaceful in Nepal, but the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) is not taking security for granted for the upcoming elections for the members of the House of Representatives and the seven State Assemblies.
To ensure that officers from the four security entities involved are well-informed about the process, ECN organized a two-day Master Training on Elections and Security with the support of ESP.
Following the 27 and 28 October 2017 event, representatives of the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and the Central Investigation Bureau will replicate the training across Nepal.
The security at polling locations is managed in three tiers, with the Police providing security inside the polling centres, the Armed Police Force normally outside and the Army patrolling, to be called in for support if required.
“Both the national and international community are aspiring to see the elections completed in a peaceful manner”, Dr. Ayodhee Prasad Yadav, the Chief Election Commissioner stated at the inauguration and added “I am confident that this training will support the security officials in maintaining a peaceful environment throughout the electoral process.”
Mr. Narendra Bam, a DSP at the Armed Police Force participating in the training, agrees. “We already know how to handle crowds and we did so in the local elections” he said, “but in this training we learnt about the provisions of the new federal structure with the House of Representatives and State Assemblies and the latest rules and regulations related to their elections. This makes us more confident in taking the message to the local level of our force.”
Photo Credits: UNDP Nepal
The Electoral Support Project- Phase II (ESP) is a technical assistance initiative which focuses on a long-term institutional and professional capacity development of the Election Commission (ECN) for conducting credible, inclusive and transparent elections. The objectives of the project are 1) to strengthen the capacity of the ECN to function as an independent and credible institution, 2) to allow the conduct of the election cycle in an effective, sustainable, and credible manner, and 3) to increase democratic participation, particularly for under-represented and disadvantaged segments of the Nepali society. ESP is currently funded by EU and Norway.