CPN-UML leader Pradeep Gyawali has said that the environment necessary to hold elections in a fear-free manner has not yet been created in the country. Speaking at a program held in Kathmandu on Tuesday, he said a serious unanswered question remains as to how elections can be conducted without fear amid escaped prisoners, looted weapons, and the weakened morale of security personnel.
Leader Gyawali argued that although the election date has been announced for Falgun 21, there is no guarantee that elections will actually take place, as the constitutional and judicial review of serious questions raised by a majority of members of the dissolved House of Representatives against the dissolution is still pending.
He said, “The election date has been announced for Falgun 21. On one hand, the constitutional and judicial examination of the serious questions raised by a majority of House members against the dissolution of the House of Representatives is yet to be completed. On the other hand, amid security challenges created by thousands of escaped prisoners, hundreds of looted modern weapons, and the weakened morale of security personnel, the critical question of how fear-free elections are possible remains unanswered.”
Gyawali also made it clear that the country cannot move forward on the basis of populism alone.
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