Jimmy Carter: Election in June impossible in Nepal

Former US President Jimmy Carter who is on a visit to Nepal said on Monday that the general election as proposed in June this year is not possible in the country."I don't see the possibility of early election in June. My conviction is that it can be held after monsoon, most probably in the third week of November 2013," Carter told a press meet organized to brief the media about this four day trip.There's a general consensus among major political parties of Nepal that time is running out for election and chances of holding election in the next two and half months are slim," said Carter, who heads the non-governmental Carter Center worldwide.Carter said he was worried about obstructions posed by CPN- Maoist, the breakaway faction of UCPN-Maoist,to the elections, as they involved acts of violence and intimidation.Officials preparing for election in districts were abused and abducted. These are serious offenses and are illegal. One has to comply with the law," Carter said.Carter on Sunday met the CPN-Maoist chairperson, Mohan Vaidya one-to-one and expressed concern over the disruptions."Vaidya told me that his party would not resort to violence and disrupt election," said Carter who arrived in Nepal on Friday.During his stay in Nepal, Carter met with the president, interim government head and UCPN-Maoist chairperson Prachanda, among other key leaders.He urged the Nepali government to allow the Carter Center to observe the forthcoming election. "I will come back for election when it happens," Carter said.Nepal was declared a de-facto republic in 2006 and official republic in 2008 after the abolition of 240-year-old monarchy. Election of a legislative body, the Constituent Assembly, was held in 2008. It expired on May 27 last year.After political uncertainty and lack of consensus for 10 months, Nepal's major parties set up an interim election body on March 14 to hold the second Constituent Assembly election in June 2013. Enditem