Nepali Congress (NC) has drawn the attention of Election Commission to guarantee voting rights of Nepalis staying abroad.
NC general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya at the latter’s office on Tuesday and urged him to list Nepali voters outside the country and guarantee their voting rights.
The grand old party has asked the Election Commission to guarantee voting rights of Nepalis staying abroad for both first-past-the-post electoral system and proportional representation (PR) electoral system if possible, and at least PR system if not.
“We have also drawn attention toward making necessary laws to guarantee voting rights of Nepalis who are abroad. The Supreme Court had issued a mandamus long time ago to formulate laws for ensuring voting rights of Nepalis who send remittance from abroad to support the economy. Voting rights should be guaranteed now by bringing laws,” Sharma stated. “NC had raised the issue even in the past. Prime minister is also positive toward the provision for granting voting rights to Nepalis who are abroad.”
Thapa said that a bill would soon be brought in the House to amend the election act to that regard.
CEC Thapaliya told the general secretary duo that the Election Commission would discuss the issue with all political parties to form a common position and move forward after consulting the government.
