"Holding periodic elections is becoming expensive affair"

KATHMANDU, APRIL 29 : Various speakers have expressed worries over the exorbitant cost in holding periodic elections in the country.. At a dialogue programme 'Value of Expensive Election in Nepal' organized by the Barbara Foundation on Thursday, they did so.

Former Chief Election Commissioner, Bhojraj Pokharel, said  that holding the local, provincial and federal polls has become an expenseive affair because of the high expenses involved in managing security, publicity, etc.   "Such expenses will not reduce until the decentralized election system is adopted."

Pokharel further said the election related spending not by the government but also by the candidates and political parties has also gone up "It is obvious that an election becomes exorbitant when the candidates enjoy as much leeeway as buying tickets and votes", he said, arguing that the tendency of winning election by hooks or crooks is a big challenge to lower the election expenses.

Another former Election Commissioner Nilakantha Uprety said electoral expenses would not decrease until and unless electoral procedure, technology, system and process are not changed. Huge election costs would be lowered if electronic election system was adopted, Uprety said, asking the political parties to do monitoring to this effect. He stressed the need to monitor election spending data the political parties or candidates present at the EC and the read spending they make. Likewise, former election commissioner Ila Sharma said almost 80 percent of the amount the EC receives from the government is channelized at local level. However, she admitted that the EC office-bearers, employees and other involved in the election commission are receiving some incentive allowances.

"There is a situation to incentivize those who are engaged round the clock in conducting the election. Without incentivizing the people, it would tough to conduct the electoral process in a smooth manner", she noted. Former Vice-Chancellor of the Tribhuvan University Kedarbhakta Mathema pitched for the need of economized election system saying the growing election expenses have created such a situation that those interested could not vie for election.

Winning election through money power has pushed people to deeper frustration to election and such situation would ultimately undermine the spirit of democracy, Mathema added. Journalist duo, Hari Bahadur Thapa and Kiran Nepal underlined the need to monitor electoral malaise as well as opaque activities of political parties and candidates. Foundation Chairperson Dr Sanduk Ruit said that the agenda of lowering election expenses should be made a national debate as expensive election system has increased disappointment towards democratic system. ---