For Fairer Election

FAIR election is the backbone of any democracy. Only through elections may the people be able to choose their representatives. Elections not only help form a legitimate government at the centre, but also pave the way for local governments, which in turn formulate programmes meant for the development of villages and the towns. But that needs a fair election. If the elections are not held in a free, fair and impartial manner, the voters cannot choose their representatives. Whatever may be the result, any political party that makes a successful bid to power through unfair means loses the legitimacy to rule. The famous saying on democracy — "of the people, by the people, for the people" — by American President Abraham Lincoln clearly states the depth of relationship between people and democracy. Indeed, elections work as A bridge between people and the parties — that’s the point where they. However, the election system, especially in the young Third World democracies, is rarely free from criticisms due mainly to the lack of fairness. Nepal can not be an exception. Often times, the political parties, which are not in power during the elections, want us to believe that the elections were not held in a fair manner. The reactions expressed by the political parties after all five elections — three parliamentary and two local — may be taken as case in points.

Aware of these, the Election Commission is implementing various measures to make the elections fairer. EC’s plan to introduce Voters’ Identity Cards to all eligible voters in the country is one of the major steps initiated to this direction. The Commission is planning to implement family inventory system in five districts — Kaski, Kailali, Makawanpur, Morang and Banke — to ensure fairer elections. It has already started collecting names of all the members of the family and updating the voters’ list in Kaski. The household inventory is the list of names of all the members of the voters that is prepared separately for each family and household. Since the voters’ household inventory is the main basis for the identification of the genuine voters, it helps in preparing and updating the voters’ list. A correct voter’s list is one of the factors that influence the voting pattern and also check riggings. Hence, this should be expanded nationwide gradually.

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