Nepal to defer Constituent Assembly election

The Election Commission (EC) formally announced on Monday that the Constituent Assembly election in Nepal, as declared by the government, cannot be conducted on November 22. Organizing a press meeting, Acting EC Chief Nilkantha Uprety said it is unfortunate to announce the country cannot witness the CA election on November 22 over the lack of regulation. "We inform that the Constituent Assembly election as declared by the government on November 22 is not possible due to the absence of electoral laws and lack of consensus among the political parties," reads a statement issued by EC. "The basis of democratic system is election," said Chief Election Commissioner Nil Kantha Uprety. "It is not a matter of delight that the second historical election has to be deferred." Uprety said that the timely availability of electoral laws had prevented the holding of the election despite the preparedness and capacity on the EC's part. The EC had set a deadline of July 22 to remove legal and constitutional difficulties by amending election related Acts and the interim constitution to hold the election on the stipulated date.