The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) organised a high-level interaction programme with political parties on 24 June 2019 at the President’s Office. The programme was chaired by the Right Honourable President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and the Chief Guest was the Honourable Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. The objective of the event was to present the review of the 2017 elections and the third ECN strategic plan.
The interaction programme was attended by approximately 70 invitees, including the Chair of the National Assembly, the Minister of Law and Justice, former Prime Ministers, former Chief Election Commissioners, senior leaders of the political parties who are represented in the House of Representatives, parliamentarians, the Chief Secretary and representatives of domestic observation groups, and media personnel from the government media houses, among others.
At the event, the Right Honourable President Bidya Devi Bhandari stated that free and fair election is the foundation of good governance and democracy. She stressed the need to guarantee periodic elections framed by proper legal provisions and a code of conduct.
The Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya underscored the commitment to promote democracy and good governance through free, fair and credible elections and to institutionalise ECN as an independent, capable and professional body.
The findings of the review of the 2017 elections and the ECN’s third strategic plan have been presented by ECN Commissioners. The event’s discussions focused on election-related issues, including the increased cost of elections, the use of electronic voting machines, the electoral code of conduct and out-of-country voting.
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.