Preliminary preparations for parliamentary election already underway, announces Nepal's interim PM

Kathmandu [Nepal], September 25 (ANI): Nepal's interim government Prime Minister announced on Thursday that preliminary preparations for the parliamentary election of March 5 are underway, calling everyone to exercise their franchise.

Addressing the nation from her office at Singhadurbar on Thursday evening, the first interim female Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushila Karki, called on all the citizens of Nepal to participate in the parliamentary election.

"To find a way out of this complex situation, the government has already started preliminary work for the general election by holding the election in a free, fair and fear-free environment by March 5, after discussing with the Election Commission officials the necessary manpower, budget, election materials, security and legal arrangements. The existing election law has been amended through an ordinance to provide voting rights to the younger generation who have reached the age of 18 and to extend the voter list," the interim Prime Minister Karki announced in her address.

Calling all the voters scattered across the nation, the Nepali Prime Minister called on everyone to exercise their electoral rights for the change that the youth have demanded.

Nepal, on September 8, saw the bloodiest day in history when police killed 21 protesting students and youths while protesting in front of the parliament during the anti-corruption movement and against the social media ban. The following day, 39 people died, of whom fifteen had died of burns. A total of 74 deaths have been recorded to date since the violence.

The postmortem report of those killed in police firing in Kathmandu Valley states death due to bullet injuries to the head and chest. During the protest, police are only allowed to fire on the protestors below the knee to control the situation.

Karki was sworn into the post of interim Prime Minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel on September 12. Immediately after being appointed as the interim Prime Minister, Karki recommended that the President dissolve the parliament and call for elections on March 5, 2026.

"I would like to call on all Nepali sisters and brothers to participate enthusiastically in the upcoming elections of the House of Representatives and to select qualified people's representatives who can represent the aspirations of the youth for change. I also call on all political parties, civil society, the media and all relevant stakeholders to actively participate in the successful conduct of free, fearless and fair elections. A peaceful environment is essential for the conduct of the elections. Therefore, I request all sisters and brothers residing in all geographical areas of the country to maintain a peaceful environment with patience," the interim Prime Minister said in Thursday's address.

At a time when some Gen Z protesters have been demanding a directly elected executive system, the Prime Minister, in her address to the nation on Thursday, made it clear that such a shift cannot be undertaken by her government.

"Since the issues raised by the Gen-Z generation during the movement, including the amendment of Nepal's constitution and governance system, are beyond the purview of the current interim government, I would like to urge the general Nepali people, including the young generation, who are in favor of change, to participate in the upcoming elections and amend the constitution through the constitutional process," Karki clarified.

Furthermore, addressing the demand for transparency and accountability by the Gen-Z protestors who brought down the regime of KP Sharma Oli, the interim Prime Minister also pledged investigations into corruption cases of the past. In her address, Karki assured that past corruption would be thoroughly examined.

"The current government has received clear information in this short time regarding the corruption that has taken place in the past. Therefore, it will conduct the necessary investigation and take action against the guilty. The relevant government agencies have already started investigating the cash amount that was found to be abnormal when the private houses of individuals were vandalised and set on fire during the protests," Karki said. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)