Speaking at the committee's meeting on Monday, Chairman of the committee Rabindra Adhikari said the committee has decided to direct the government to immediately fill the vacant posts of chief commissioner and commissioners at the Election Commission, allocate sufficient budget and fix the date for local elections.
"Absence of elected representatives at the local level has not only affected development works since a decade but it is also likely to affect reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the aftermath of the earthquake. So, we direct the government to fix the date and hold local elections as soon as possible," he said.The committee has directed the Election Commission to update the voter list. It has also asked the Ministry of Finance to allocate budget required for holding the elections and the Ministry of Home Affairs to table the Local Body Election Procedures Act 1992 in parliament for amendment.
The committee has also asked the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development to appoint staffers at local bodies to create an atmosphere for the government to fix the date for elections. Likewise, the committee has also urged the Constitutional Council to recommend commissioners for the vacant post at the EC. The last local elections were held in 1997.
Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal said that the government officials have been overburdened with work in absence of elected representatives at the local level.
Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam and Local Development Minister Prakash Man Singh, who were also at the meeting, stressed on holding local elections immediately.
Likewise, Dolakh Bahadur Gurung, acting election commissioner, said the government should immediately amend the Local Body Election Procedures to hold the local elections. "Political parties should forge a consensus on holding local elections. The government can fix a date only after the parties reach an agreement in this regard," he said.
Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, chairman of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (Democratic), said consensus among political parties is a must for holding local elections. "I believe that the 16-point agreement among major political parties recently has paved way for local elections," added he.
He, however, said it was unfortunate that top leaders of major political parties did not attend the committee's meeting.
Though the committee had invited top leaders of major political parties, including PM Sushil Koirala, to discuss local elections, none of the leaders turned up at the committee's meeting. "It shows they are not serious about holding local elections," added Gachhadar.
Most of the lawmakers at the meeting stressed on holding election soon while a few members of the committee argued local elections should be held only after only provinces are delineated.
Chin Kaji Shrestha, a Nepali Congress lawmaker, said the government can hold local elections for an interim period until the provinces are delineated.
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