Kathmandu: General Secretaries of the Nepali Congress Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have demanded that the Election Commission (EC) ensure voting rights to Nepalis living abroad.
Thapa and Sharma met Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya on Tuesday and drew the attention of the Election Commission to take the decision in this regard as the Supreme Court has already given a verdict to ensure voting rights to Nepali citizens living abroad.
Four years back, the Supreme Court had issued a directive order to the government for ensuring voting rights for Nepalis living abroad but it has not been implemented yet. The Supreme Court, in 2018, issued a directive order stating that it was the duty of the government to enable every citizen living in the country or abroad to vote in elections.
[Related: Voting rights for Nepalis abroad: Full of promises, lack of action]
Saying the decision has already been taken in the central working committee of the Nepali Congress in order to make arrangements for voting rights for the Nepali citizens living abroad, they urged the EC to move ahead with the cooperation of different political parties and government for the formulation of necessary laws and acts for the same, said General-Secretary Sharma.
Another General Secretary Thapa added that they also asked the EC to set up voters’ name list collection centers at all local levels in order to manage the crowd as the EC has started voters’ name list collection across the country from June 15.
Similarly, a discussion was also held on how to make the election fair, transparent, and less costly, they said.
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