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Opposition parties call for boycott of civic polls

The seven party opposition alliance has renewed its call for boycott of municipal level elections slated on February 8, next year.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, top leaders of the seven opposition parties and United Left Front have called the voters in all 58 municipalities in the country to boycott the polls referring to it as “a conspiracy against democracy.” They alleged that the royal government was pushing the country towards further instability and chaos by announcing the polls.

They have also called upon their cadres to actively boycott the forthcoming polls in a peaceful way. The alliance has asked its constituent parties to expel their members found taking part in the elections process for at least five years from the party.

President of Nepali Congress GP Koirala, General Secretary of CPN (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal, acting president of NC (Democratic) Gopal Man Shrestha, Chairman of Jana Morcha Nepal Amik Sherchan, President of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe, leader of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) Bharat Vimal Yadav and president of United Left Front Krishna Das Shrestha have signed on the joint appeal.

Major political parties including Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) had already announced that they will not take part in any type of elections conducted by the royal government terming it as “unconstitutional.”

Officials, on their part, have called upon people to take part in the forthcoming polls terming it as a democratic exercise. They have warned that strict action would be taken against anybody found trying to prevent voters from casting their votes. nepalnews.com by Dec 29 05