EC consults with parties on CA pollsThe Election Commission (EC) today held discussion with the representatives of political parties on how the constituent assembly polls slated for mid-June next year could be conducted in a free and fair manner.
Commission officials said the discussion was aimed at seeking clear views from the political parties on the electoral system even though the November 8 agreement between the seven-party government and the Maoists has ‘vaguely stated’ that it would be a mixed system. They said that before the commission could start preparation for the CA polls there should be a clear decision on the electoral system as well as commitments from the parties to provide necessary legal support.
The commission also wants some changes in the existing laws so that it would function independently, they added. Format of the ballot paper and preparation for finalising the voters’ list were among the topics discussed at the meeting.
Representative of the seven parties, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Janashakti Party and the breakaway faction of People’s Front Nepal participated in the discussion at the EC central office, but the there were no representatives of the CPN (Maoist).
EC spokesperson Laxman Bhattarai said the CPN (Maoist) was also invited for discussion but no Maoist representatives turned up at the meeting.
As per the SPA-Maoist agreement, the CA will have 425 members with 205 elected directly members, 204 elected through proportional system and 16 nominated by the cabinet.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.