'UN seeking firm commitment to CA polls’
A senior United Nations official has said the UN is not confident that the political parties in Nepal are truly committed to holding the election to a constituent assembly by mid-April this year.
According to Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel, visiting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Angela Kane, has said the UN is seeking firm assurance from the government and the parties that polls are going to take place in April.
Kane during her meeting with Pokharel Wednesday morning said she was in Nepal seeking commitment from the parties for the polls since the UN has to take its decision accordingly next week.
The UN Security Council meeting is scheduled for next week to decide over the future of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). The government has asked the UN to extend the term of the UNMIN.
CEC Pokharel quoted Kane saying that assurances from the parties and the government was necessary for the UN to extend the term of the UNMIN and allocate budget to support the polls process.
During the meeting, the two discussed the support the UNMIN is providing to EC for the upcoming election and the preparations being made for it. Kane also said that UN would continue providing its assistance to the EC for the polls.
UNMIN chief Ian Martin was also present in the meeting. The UN team also met with other EC officials and took stock of the security situation in the country.
The meeting between senior UN officials and the CEC comes a day after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said that the new date for the polls would be fixed this week. nepalnews.com ia/ag Jan 09 08
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