EC urges government to fix date of local elections at the earliest
The Election Commission has urged the government to fix the date of local level elections at the earliest.
Issuing a statement on Tuesday, the Election Commission said that there will be problems in the management if the date is not announced as soon as possible.
Earlier on October 25, the poll body had suggested the government hold the elections on April 27.
Similarly, the office bearers of the Election Commission on December 24 had urged Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to fix the date of local elections promptly.
The Election Commission has been saying that the local level elections should be held within May 19 as the tenure of the local representatives will expire on that day.
EC completes preparations for National Assembly elections
The Election Commission is all set to conduct the National Assembly elections slated for tomorrow. The elections are being held for 19 posts of the National Assembly member.
The entire management of peace and security, health protocol and election centres has been over, according to EC Spokesperson Shaligram Poudel. “All works for the elections except setting up a booth and all-party meeting have been over,” he said, adding that the remaining works would also be done today.
With the beginning of the silence period, the elections publicity have stopped. Security persons, election employees and a team of health workers have been managed. The voting will be conducted from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Wednesday. There are eight polling stations and 14 centres across the country.
The term of 19 NA members is expiring coming March 4. Among 19, eight are of CPN UML, four of CPN (Unified Socialist), four of Maoist Centre, and three of Nepali Congress. There is the constitutional provision that elections to NA members should be held before 35 days of the expiry of the term. Currently, nine political parties are in the election fray.
According to EC, Nepali Congress, CPN UML, Maoist Centre, CPN (Unified Socialist), Rastriya Janamorcha, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Rastriya Prajatantra Party are taking part in the election.
There are 2,025 voters for the elections. They are Province Assembly members, local level chiefs and deputy chiefs. It is expected that the voters will reach the polling stations and voting centres by the evening.
There is a quota of seven women, three Dalit, two disabled or minority and seven others for the NA member. There is the constitutional provision that the term of one third of NA members is expired every two years. The upper house of the federal parliament, NA has 59 members.RSS
Pakistan’s first woman Supreme Court judge Ayesha Malik sworn in
Justice Ayesha Malik was sworn in as Pakistan's first female Supreme Court judge on January 24, a landmark occasion in a country where activists say the law is often wielded against women, The Dawn reported.
She now sits on the bench alongside 16 male colleagues at the apex court. “It's a huge step forward,” lawyer and women's rights activist Nighat Dad told AFP. “It is history in the making for Pakistan's judiciary.”
Justice Malik was educated at Harvard University and served as a high court judge in Lahore for the past two decades. She has been credited with rolling back patriarchal legal mores in Punjab.
Last year she outlawed a deeply invasive and medically discredited examination used to determine a woman's level of sexual experience. “She has broken all barriers in the judicial system and it will allow other women in the system to move forward,” said lawyer and women's rights activist Khadija Siddiqi.
“I hope this will lead to more women-centric decisions by the judiciary in the future.” Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Justice Malik and wished her all the best.
Acting Chief Secy among 12 staffers of Sudurpaschim Province test positive for Covid-19
As many as 12 staffers of the Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Social Development Ministry and Agriculture Ministry of Sudurpaschim Province have tested positive for Covid-19.
Five staffers including Acting Chief Secretary Dundi Prasad Niraula of the Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, six staffers of Social Development Ministry and a staffer of Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives have tested positive for Covid-19.
Saying that his cook and driver have also tested positive, Niraula said that his health condition is normal.
